Fall
by ellembee
Summary: Katniss only joined the District*4 Fan Club to get the presale code so she could buy tickets for Prim's fifteenth birthday. She had no idea there was a contest or that she would win. She had no idea she would wind up backstage meeting the four ridiculously attractive members of the band. And she definitely had no idea Peeta Mellark would be so damn charming.
1. Chapter 1

Katniss glared at the parking attendant's outstretched hand. She couldn't believe she had to pay $10.

To park her car.

At a venue that had already swallowed up almost $300 from her bank account.

And what about those extra bullshit fees that were tacked onto the cost of the concert tickets? Where did those dollars go? Apparently not to parking.

Katniss took a deep breath. She would not yell at this nice man. It was not his fault that she was hemorrhaging money just to see a boy band she had zero interest in. It was not his fault that her boss, Effie Trinket, had kept her an hour late, preventing her from arriving with Annie and Prim. (And apparently saving $10.) It was not his fault that she was exhausted and overworked and starving because she hadn't had time to stop for dinner and that all she wanted was one night of not worrying, one night where her sister was happy and smiling and she could turn off her brain even if she had to listen to crappy music to do it.

It wasn't anyone's fault really.

And this nice man was just doing his job.

Her cell phone dinged from the passenger seat. A succession of rapid-fire dings followed, and her anger turned into disappointment. She knew the text messages had to be from Prim. She and Annie must have found their seats.

She shoved the $10 at the attendant, pulled into an empty space, and looked at her phone. She was thrilled to see a video message from Annie. It was hard to hear at first thanks to the crowd, but Katniss could make out Prim's confused questions as the usher led them down the ramp rather than up several flights of stairs.

When the usher left them five rows from the stage, Prim emitted a high-pitched shriek.

"Thank your sister," Annie prompted from behind the cell phone. "This was all her idea."

But Prim was too busy jumping up and down in the aisle to hear.

The rest of Katniss's messages were from Prim. The first three were simply exclamation points filling the screen. The next two were "OMG" and "I cant believe this!" The second to last was about twenty variations of the happy face emoji, and the last one, finally, read:

"youll never guess whos sitting in the row behind us. glimmer and clove! i cannot believe their faces. they didnt believe me when i said i had tickets. omg this is the best bday ever! u r the best sister ever! thank you!"

At the age of fifteen, everything to Prim was either "the best ever" or "literally the worst," but pride still swelled in Katniss's chest. The last year had been hell, but Katniss was determined to make Prim's birthday a happy night. It had taken months of careful saving and a $75 membership fee to District*4's Fan Club in order to get the presale code, but Katniss had succeeded in purchasing the best tickets she could get her hands on. Prim had known about the concert all along, but she had believed they'd be sitting in the very back, relying on the giant screens to see the stage.

Katniss had wanted to be there when Prim realized how close their seats were, but work had run late as usual. She wanted to curse her boss, but it was hard to do so when her position as Effie's personal assistant was the major reason the courts had granted Katniss custody of Prim. "Love" and "family" were important buzzwords, sure, but the court preferred phrases like "full-time job" and "health insurance."

At least Annie had recorded Prim's reaction. This was a video Katniss could watch whenever she needed a reminder of why she had dropped out of college, clocked sixty-hour weeks, and slept on a pullout couch in the middle of the living room.

Prim's smile was a really good reminder.

As Katniss entered the venue, ticket in hand (thank god she had the foresight to take hers with her just in case), she heard a roar rise up from the crowd. Her heart sunk. While she wasn't excited to see the concert (District*4 wasn't exactly her preference), and she could have saved herself a lot of money by staying home and sending Prim with Annie, who actually was a huge fan, she wanted to be part of her sister's special night.

Even if it made her ears bleed.

"Is that...?" Katniss asked as she handed her ticket to an usher.

"Opening act just finished," the woman responded. "There's still one more band before District*4 comes on."

The women did a double take of her handheld scanner.

"Hold on just a second," she said. She turned away and mumbled something into her headset.

"Is there a problem?" Katniss asked. Because that was just what she needed. Another obstacle. "I bought that ticket legally."

"There's no problem, ma'am. It'll just be one moment."

Katniss didn't like the "ma'am" or the brushoff. She wanted to argue, but she didn't want to cause a scene and risk being booted from the venue before she even made it past the velvet rope. She stepped to the side to allow the next person in line access to the usher.

Two minutes. That's how long she would wait until she insisted on being let through. She stared at the throngs of people in the lobby buying overpriced merchandise and began a silent count.

At one hundred and eighteen, a man dressed in an ill-fitting suit appeared at the usher's side. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were glassy. He smelled faintly of vodka.

"Where is she? It is a she, right?" he asked.

The usher rolled her eyes and gestured for Katniss to come forward. "Yes, it's a she."

Katniss crossed her arms over her chest when she caught the man looking her up and down. "Is there a problem?" she asked. "I purchased my ticket through the fan club presale. It's a legitimate ticket."

"You're a little older than usual, but a lot saner." He started to circle her, but she spun around, not interested in having this greasy man check out her ass.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded. "Am I being let in or not?"

All she wanted to do was see the fruits of her $300 effort. She wanted to hug her sister, wish her a happy birthday, and steal some of the $8 popcorn Annie had almost certainly purchased. And if she had to yell at someone to do it, fine. She yelled at people for a living. It was the main reason Effie had hired her. Effie got to play the sugary sweet boss, endlessly apologizing for her rude personal assistant but secretly grateful that Katniss's stubbornness got results.

"Calm down, sweetheart. Of course you're going in. You won," the man answered.

"Won? Won what?"

The man offered a crooked smile and stuck out his hand. "I'm Haymitch Abernathy, District*4's manager. Now come with me."

Without further explanation, he walked back in the direction he came. Katniss hesitated until the usher waved her forward. She fell into step beside Haymitch, still confused about what the hell was going on, but she was past the velvet rope and that was what counted.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Have you ever been to a D*4 concert?"

"No."

In fact, she barely knew anything about District*4 except that they were "insanely hot" and "the biggest boy band ever." Of course, she had gleaned this knowledge from Prim, so she wasn't sure how accurate it was.

She didn't listen to their music, at least not on purpose, but she often heard it through the walls of Prim's bedroom.

"The guys bring a girl up on stage at every concert to sing to. A member of the fan club is randomly selected, and surprise! You're it."

Katniss's mouth opened and closed a few times as she processed this news. "Me? It can't be me." She thought of Prim and Annie dancing around the kitchen last night, blasting D*4's music until the neighbors banged on the wall.

Katniss couldn't win. She didn't deserve to. She couldn't name a single song.

"It's your lucky day," Haymitch said as if she hadn't protested at all. "Seeing as how you're such a big fan and all." He gave her a pointed look.

"They can't bring me up on stage," she said as Haymitch swiped a keycard through the slot on a door marked "Employees Only."

"They are."

She followed him down a narrow hallway. This man couldn't be serious. She wasn't even a fan!

"And they can't sing to me."

He let out an exasperated sigh and stopped outside of a nondescript brown door.

"I'm not sure why this is a hard concept to grasp." He rubbed his forehead and muttered something about needing a drink. "Look, don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled you're not crying or jumping up and down like a crazy person, but you should sound at least a little excited before you meet them. Now come on."

Meet them? Was he seriously going to—

Haymitch opened the door to reveal one of the biggest flat screen televisions she had ever seen, a sofa that took up the entire left wall, a huge table full of sandwiches, chips, and cans of soda, and, oh yeah, three ridiculously handsome men.

"Look who I've got," Haymitch said. "Your winner finally showed up."

Katniss didn't recognize any of them, but she knew immediately that these were the members of the band. They just had that look to them, the just finished with a photo shoot, about to shoot a music video, worth millions of dollars look. She didn't know it was possible to have a look like that in real life, but here they were.

"Allow me to introduce…" Haymitch trailed off, staring at her expectantly.

"Katniss," she supplied.

"Alright, Katniss, let me introduce you to Finnick. He's the lead singer."

Finnick, a man who could easily pass as a reincarnated Greek god, gave her a bright smile and shook her hand.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Katniss."

"This is Gale, our quote, unquote bad boy with a heart of gold," Haymitch said.

Katniss rolled her eyes at Haymitch's label, but she could see why it fit. Gale was tall with dark hair and grey eyes. He looked a little dangerous until his mouth quirked upward in a vague smile. He shook her hand before sprawling out on the sofa.

"This is Darius, the one with the questionable sexuality," Haymitch said, nodding toward the redhead perched on the arm of the couch.

"Hey!" Darius said. "Would you stop introducing me like that?"

"We've been over this," Haymitch said. "Every boy band has one."

"I like girls," he told Katniss.

"Yeah, like sixty percent of the time," Gale said.

Darius looked over at Gale and winked. "You would know."

"Okay, I said 'questionable sexuality.' We don't need to be confirming any rumors in front of this complete stranger."

Katniss shrugged. "Your secret's safe with me."

"I swear I need to start having these fans sign confidentiality waivers before meeting you idiots. Now where's my boy next door?"

As if on cue, the door opened and the last member of the group walked in. Katniss inhaled sharply.

There was no question that Finnick was the most attractive member of the group, but he was more like a work of art than an actual person. He was something to be admired from afar, an unobtainable fantasy protected by a velvet rope.

Not like this man standing in the doorway, with his tousled blonde hair, his easy smile, his broad shoulders. He was solid, strong, and he was begging to be touched.

_Mellark_, Katniss thought. It took her a moment to remember why she not only recognized him but had also come up with a name. His face was splashed across the covers of several magazines. Last week, as she had stood in line at the grocery store, a nearby _Entertainment Weekly_ had proclaimed "Mellark Mania" to be sweeping the nation.

While the headline was ridiculous, Katniss had been struck then with how handsome he was. She hadn't realized he was a member of District*4, otherwise she might have been more excited about attending tonight.

"Peeta, you're just in time. This is Katniss, the girl you'll be singing to onstage tonight."

Peeta's smiled brightly. "It's great to meet you, Katniss."

Her stomach performed a perfect flip as they shook hands. Meeting the other three had been so easy. She didn't understand why he would have such an effect on her.

It had to be his eyes. She had assumed they'd been photoshopped on the cover of those magazines, the color enhanced to an unearthly blue.

She was surprised to see that they were as blue as advertised.

"You can't sing to me," she blurted out.

Peeta frowned, and Katniss had to fight off the blush blossoming across her cheeks and up her neck.

"I mean, I'm here with my sister. It's her fifteenth birthday and you're her gift." Crap. No. She shook her head. "I mean, the tickets are her gift. She's dying to see you guys."

Peeta smiled at her again, and she wished he would stop. His stupid, perfect mouth was making it hard to focus. She looked over at Finnick instead. Greek god or not, he was less intimidating.

"Is there any way she could take my place?" Katniss asked.

"Of course!" Finnick said.

A rush of gratitude ran through her, and suddenly she was fighting the impulse to cry while simultaneously jumping up and down. Ugh. Did these guys have some kind of emotion bending pheromone coming off them? What was it about them that made girls lose their minds?

She glanced back over at Peeta. God, his jawline rivaled the actor's who played Captain America. Chris What's-His-Name. Consider her question answered.

"This is incredible," Katniss forced out. "You have no idea how much this will mean to her."

"What's your sister's name?" Peeta asked.

"Prim. Primrose, actually."

"That's a gorgeous name," Peeta said. "What's her favorite ballad? We can sing whichever one she wants."

Crap. Katniss rushed through every memory she had of listening to music with Prim in the car or at home. She had never really paid much attention. She had dismissed District*4's music as silly and not worth her time without ever giving it a chance. Whenever Prim did have it on, Katniss was usually too preoccupied calculating bill payments in her head to pay much attention.

Wait. There was a song that she vaguely remembered. It was constantly flooding out of Prim's room.

"I don't actually know the name." She shrugged helplessly. "Sorry. She's the huge fan, not me."

"Do you remember any of the words?" Darius asked.

Peeta nodded encouragingly. "Just a couple of lines. We'll figure it out."

She closed her eyes and began to hum the melody, hoping it would jog her memory.

"_Every night_

_I'll be dreaming of you_

_Every night_

_I'll be waiting for your call_

_Every night_

_I'll be hoping you'll remember_

_That every time I see you_

_I fall, I fall…"_

She felt pretty proud of herself for remembering the words until she opened her eyes. Finnick, Gale, and Darius were exchanging looks, although she couldn't determine what exactly their expressions meant. Haymitch's mouth was hanging open, and Peeta was staring at her in wonder.

Oh god. Had she just sung the words to another band's song? She was certain that Prim only listened to District*4 on repeat, but she could have been mistaken.

"I'm not…" Peeta cleared his throat. "I'm not sure I recognize that song. Could you sing a few more verses?"

"You don't recognize your own song?" Katniss asked, her question almost a plea. Just say it's your song. Please, please let it be yours.

"Just another couple of lines," Peeta prompted.

Katniss tried to swallow but her mouth was too dry. She cleared her throat and plucked a few more words out of her nerve-wracked brain.

"_Because every time I look into your eyes_

_I fall just a little bit deeper…"_

Katniss tugged on her braid and considered running out the door. "Sorry. That's all I remember."

"That's 'Fall,'" Peeta said. "It's an older song. From our first album."

The relief that flooded through her made her dizzy. "You'll sing that to her?"

"Yeah," Peeta said. "When the time comes, we'll send a security guard to your seat. They'll know to bring up Prim. It'll be a surprise."

"Thank you!" The urge to throw her arms around him was strong, but she suppressed it. She was not the touchy feely type. And she certainly wasn't the kind of person to lose it over a celebrity. They were just people. People who made lots and lots of money and looked like models, but still. People.

"No problem," Peeta said.

"Well, now that that's settled, let's get Katniss to her seat," Haymitch said. "You're on in twenty."

"It was wonderful meeting you, Katniss," Peeta said.

A chorus of agreement rose from the other three, but she barely heard them. She was staring at Peeta again, turning his words over in his head. She liked his voice, the way he made her name sound like a song. She was more excited about the concert now. She wanted to hear him sing.

Haymitch and Katniss were halfway down the narrow hall when Peeta burst out of the room.

"Wait." He thrust two lanyards at Katniss. "Backstage passes. For the meet and greet after the show."

"Seriously?" Katniss asked. She was certainly getting her money's worth now. "Annie and Prim will be so excited."

"Annie?" Peeta asked.

"She's my best friend and another huge fan. She's with us tonight."

"Let me go get another pass for you."

"Oh no, that's not necessary," Katniss said, almost stuttering through her sentence. Even though she had successfully conjured up the correct lyrics, residual embarrassment still lingered. Meeting celebrities was weird, even though it had been brief and everyone had been nice. And they were already doing so much for her. It was getting overwhelming.

Besides, she hardly knew a thing about the group. Let the real fans meet them. She could wait in the lobby.

"No, I insist. You should come back too."

Was it her imagination, or was he blushing? Did famous guys even blush unless it was on cue?

"Sure. I mean, it'd be good to have a neutral party to be the picture taker," she said.

Peeta nodded. "Exactly. I'll give Prim a pass after she comes on stage. Just come to the door after the concert."

"Thank you. Really."

"It's no problem."

Katniss watched him return to the room, trying and failing not to check out his ass. Was it a requirement in the entertainment industry that all male vocalists wear such tight pants? Because it was a good rule.

"Oh, and Katniss?" Peeta asked, lingering in front of the open door. She blushed again, hoping he hadn't caught her staring. "You have a really pretty voice."

Before she could formulate a response, the door was closing behind him. Had Peeta Mellark, a performer so talented he was reportedly making girls swoon across the country, just complimented her singing? Nothing about the past twenty minutes seemed real.

"Coming, sweetheart?" Haymitch asked.

She jumped. She had forgotten he was there.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

"No crying. No screaming. No marriage proposals or attempts to tackle any of the guys, and yet somehow, I just know, you're going to cause me the most trouble."

Katniss brushed her braid off her shoulder and walked past him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

* * *

$75 to join the fan club. $287 for two fifth-row seats. $10 to park. Numerous sleepless nights worrying over how she was going to afford all this.

And it was all worth it as soon as District*4 took the stage and Prim let out her signature high-pitched shriek. As the music played and Prim sang along to every song, Katniss finally stopped measuring the night in dollars and started enjoying herself instead. The money was already spent. It was gone. But Prim and Annie were here, and they were having a blast.

While she was reluctant to admit it, Katniss was having a lot more fun than she expected. While the music wasn't exactly her taste—some of the lyrics were way too cheesy for her liking—it wasn't nearly as bad she originally thought. It also helped that Peeta Mellark wasn't too far away, pulling off complicated dance moves as he sang into a headset.

And as it turned out, she very much liked his singing voice. She half wished the other guys would shut up, so she could just hear him.

Five songs in, a tall, muscular security guard appeared at Katniss's side.

"I'm looking for Prim," the man yelled over the noise.

Katniss nodded and turned to her sister, who was currently jumping up and down to the beat of the song.

"Prim!" Katniss tugged on her sister's arm. "I've got one more surprise for you."

Prim gave her a quizzical glance, but didn't question her sister. She trusted Katniss. Always. Even if it meant getting up in the middle of a concert featuring her favorite band to follow a security guard up the aisle.

"Where's she going?" Annie yelled.

"You'll see."

Two songs later, Peeta led Prim onstage. She was already crying. Katniss assumed the sobbing had begun as soon as she realized what was going on, but she had composed herself before it was time to come out. There were just a few tears now and an insanely wide grin.

Annie's shriek rivaled Prim's. "Oh my god! How did you pull this off?"

Katniss shrugged as if it was no big deal. She'd explain later. For now, she needed to take as many pictures as possible. Annie pulled out her phone and pressed record.

Peeta sat Prim down on a chair in the center of the stage. The familiar melody of "Fall" flooded the venue, and Finnick began to sing. Peeta joined in on the chorus. All four members took turns serenading Prim whose usual pale skin was as red as Darius's hair. She was a mess of tears and laughter, but she hadn't looked that happy in a long, long time.

When the song was over, she pulled out her cell phone, and the group took a selfie with her. Then, Finnick grabbed the phone and took a picture of Prim and Peeta facing backstage, so the crowd was their backdrop.

Before Prim returned to her seat, Peeta announced that it was her fifteenth birthday. The guys led the crowd in a very enthusiastic rendition of "Happy Birthday," and tears stung Katniss's eyes. She blinked them away quickly, embarrassed at her sudden sentimentality, but she couldn't take her eyes off her baby sister. Prim was glowing, practically radiating happiness.

It was all Katniss had wanted.

Her gaze drifted to the handsome blond next to Prim, his arm slung over her sister's slender shoulders.

She pulled one of the passes from her back pocket and handed it to Annie without a word. Annie let out another squeal of happiness, but managed to keep her phone focused on the stage.

Katniss hung the other pass over her neck. She fiddled with the lanyard, trying to ignore the strange rush of anticipation that swept through her.

It seemed she had found a new favorite band.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for reading! This chapter is part two and three from tumblr. The next chapter will be completely new.

Ms. Trinket had a strict policy about cell phone use during work hours. Katniss wasn't allowed to touch her own but was expected to keep the iPhone Effie had purchased for her within reach at all times. Katniss was to answer it, always, even if she was in the middle of speak with one of Effie's clients on the landline.

She was getting pretty good at having two conversations at once.

She had never minded the policy before. Prim and Prim's school had both of her work numbers, and that was all that had mattered.

Until.

Until Peeta Mellark spent the entire Meet and Greet after the concert trying to catch her eye and smiling whenever he succeeded. Until Peeta Mellark had insisted Annie and Katniss trade places, so Katniss could have at least one picture with the group. Until Peeta Mellark had swiped her cell phone and took a selfie.

Until Peeta freaking Mellark had entered his number into her phone and set his stupid, perfect picture as the contact photo.

And then texted her the next day.

They had texted everyday in the three weeks that followed, but since he was on tour, he was busy nearly every minute of every day. He had a little downtime during the afternoon between traveling and doing press, but it was always while she was at work. By the time she arrived home, he was already at a new venue, rehearsing.

They were never available at the same time, except for last Sunday when there had been no press, no meet and greets, no performance. They had texted back and forth for two uninterrupted hours.

Peeta had wanted to call. He had said he wanted to hear her voice, but he was almost never alone, and there was no way in hell he was going to let the guys eavesdrop on their conversation.

Katniss glanced over at the clock in the corner of her computer screen. It had been 12:58 PM for at least ten minutes, and Katniss had been proofreading the same sentence for at least twice as long. Effie had an engagement this afternoon that would occupy her for the rest of the day (and, Katniss thought with a smirk, the rest of the night), so she would be leaving soon. Katniss would finally have a very rare lunch hour that wasn't consumed with work.

Technically, the no personal cell phone policy did not apply to Katniss's lunch hour. So today, for the first time in at least three months, she was going to set at her desk, eat her lunch, and use her damn phone.

She had woken up this morning to a picture of a smiling but exhausted Peeta who had clearly just finished another meet and greet. His hair, which was usually slicked back with globs of gel for his shows had reverted to its natural unruly state. It made her think of bedhead, of what he would look like waking up next to her. If that hadn't been enough, his very simple message of "goodnight miss you" had sent her into a tailspin.

What were they doing? Why was she imagining him in her bed? And why was she letting whatever _this_ was happen?

She liked routine. She liked knowing what to expect. She had enough anxiety and uncertainty in her life without adding some guy she barely knew into the mix. At the same time though, his messages made her happy. She felt like a teenager again, distracted by a cute boy rather than worries about money. His messages transported her back to the easy days before her father's death. Before her mother's nervous breakdown. Before she had to figure out how to be an adult and take care of her family.

He made her feel lighter. Carefree.

"Katniss, dear, I need you to pick up my dry cleaning. Everything can be dropped off at my apartment, but the green Gucci must be left here."

Katniss, who had zoned out in front of her computer screen, said nothing.

Effie took a few steps closer, her six-inch heels click-clacking loudly against the hardwood floor. "Katniss?"

Effie leaned over the desk and snapped her manicured nails in front of Katniss's face. Katniss jumped, her hands flying to the keyboard as if she could pretend she had been busy this entire time.

"Did you hear me?" Effie asked. "It's very important you get my dry cleaning."

"Yes, no problem, Ms. Trinket."

"And you'll leave the green Gucci dress here?"

"Yes."

"You know which one the Gucci is, right? I don't need to quiz you again?"

Katniss rolled her eyes. Her first couple of weeks as Effie's assistant involved hours of poring over pictures of designer dresses until Effie was satisfied that Katniss knew the labels by heart. Effie still tested her monthly, insisting Katniss had to keep her knowledge current.

"Yes, I remember. I'll leave it hanging on your door for you."

"Wonderful. Well, Cinna's flight just got in. We'll probably have a long lunch. I don't expect to be back in today."

"You've got a room at The Victors' Villas," Katniss said. "Check in is at 3:00."

Effie wobbled in her heels as she bent to pick up her purse. "Right. Yes. Thank you."

While Effie, who believed in manners above all else, preferred to pretend her fashion model turned designer boyfriend was only a business associate, Katniss knew better. After all, someone had to book the hotel rooms.

As soon as Effie's steps faded away, Katniss ripped open her purse and powered on her phone.

_Peeta: I hope Effie isn't driving you crazy today _

_Peeta: do you ever wear your hair down?_

_Peeta: I'm being creepy and stalking your facebook page_

_Peeta: don't get me wrong I love your braid but now I'm wondering if you have some kind of medical condition that doesn't allow you to take it out_

_Peeta: and now i'm making you feel bad about your medical condition_

_Peeta: I only slept for two hours last night I'm sorry_

_Peeta: what are you having for dinner_

_Peeta: describe to me your home cooked meal _

_Peeta: can you tell I'm getting desperate for home? thank god our last show is tomorrow night_

Fighting off a ridiculously huge smile, Katniss checked the timestamps. The first few had been sent this morning, shortly after she had arrived at work and powered off her phone. The last three had been sent fifteen minutes ago. She quickly typed a response and held her breath, hoping he wasn't busy.

_Katniss: 1. I like my braid do not question it 2. sorry to disappoint but dinner is still a mystery. 3. are you happy the tour's almost done or are you going to miss it_

_Peeta: i like your braid too_

_Peeta: I love it actually_

_Peeta: I'm stilI running on two hours of sleep I shouldn't be allowed to text anyone at this stage of exhaustion_

_Peeta: I also think I'm going deaf from all the screaming, crying girls. I love our fans really I do but my ears cant take it much longer_

_Katniss: oh I can imagine how hard it is to have all those girls throwing themselves at you every night_

_Peeta: you do know the majority of our fans are extremely underage right? The rest are their mothers_

_Katniss: not so fast…I know at least one adult woman who is obsessed with your group_

_Peeta: is her name Katniss? ;)_

_Katniss: actually I was referring to Annie. she's in love with your lead singer._

_Peeta: he has that effect on people. But what about you?_

_Katniss: oh yeah, I'm in love with Finnick too. Can you tell him I asked about him?_

_Peeta: you're hilarious_

_Katniss: my deadpan humor does translate well over text_

_Peeta: you know what I meant_

_Katniss: well I no longer turn off the station when you come on the radio_

_Peeta: stop please I'm blushing_

_Peeta: can I see you this weekend?_

Katniss nearly dropped her phone. She couldn't follow the mental leap he had made from harmless banter to asking her out. Wait, no, not asking her out. More like hanging out, right?

He wanted to see her.

Why did he want to see her?

She put her phone down and turned back to her computer, wishing she could freeze time just for a couple of minutes so she could think. She didn't want to take too long to answer, but she had no idea what to say.

For all she knew, Peeta had a whole contact list of girls from different cities, girls to text him good morning and good night, girls that replied to his pictures with pictures of their own, the kind of pictures she'd never be willing to take no matter the distance.

Somehow, she doubted this. He didn't seem like the type of guy who juggled numerous girls. He seemed nice. Genuine. On the other hand, she had only seen him in person once, and while she had learned a lot about him over the past three weeks, she still hardly knew him.

But wasn't that the point of hanging out? Getting to know the other person better?

Ugh. Their relationship, friendship, whatever-ship was the very definition of uncertainty, but maybe if he came to see her, it would become more clearly defined?

She was getting ahead of herself. They were friends, nothing more. Nothing _needed_ to be defined. She had a long-distance friendship with a famous pop star. No big deal.

And anyway, if she shut out the worries and misgivings she had, if she ignored all the possible what-if scenarios running through her head and focused only on the facts, her response was clear. After all, there were only two important facts:

He wanted to see her.

And she really, really wanted to see him.

_Katniss: yes_

* * *

"You look beautiful!" Annie said.

Katniss frowned at her reflection. She supposed she looked better than usual thanks to Annie's handiwork. She had been sitting on the couch, watching reruns of _Modern Family_and unable to stop her legs from jiggling, when Annie had come home, taken one look at her, and said, "Absolutely not."

A green knee length dress with lacy cap sleeves replaced Katniss's jeans and cardigan. She scrubbed her face clean of the little make-up she wore and allowed Annie to play beautician. Annie had been careful not to overdo it: foundation, a little blush, and delicate, winged eyeliner.

Katniss had been prepared to fight Annie on her braid until she remembered Peeta's text messages. She knew he had been teasing her, but she wanted to surprise him. Maybe impress him.

So she sat very still while Annie put a few loose curls in her hair and held back a litany of swear words when Annie accidentally burned her earlobes.

"Are you sure this isn't too much?" Katniss asked.

"No, you look perfect! A pretty dress, a little make-up, and tada! First date ready," Annie said. "I bet he's going to take you somewhere nice. He didn't give you a single clue?"

"Nope. Just a time."

The arrangements had been done via text on Thursday, the afternoon of Peeta's last concert. Peeta had promised to take care of everything. All she had to do was provide her address. He sent her his flight information, promised to show up at six on Saturday night, and then, nothing. She had texted him a couple of times to ask how his last show had gone and tell him she was excited to see him, but she hadn't heard back until this morning when he had sent her a picture of his feet next to his carry-on.

Beneath the picture, it had simply read, "on my way."

No exclamation points. No smiley faces. No excitement. The lackluster message was much worse than his silence. It was as if he regretted planning the trip but was still coming out of obligation.

To make matters worse, this was her first date in a long time. Her last serious relationship had begun the end of her senior year in high school and had lasted a year and a half. Cato had been great at first, but a few months in, he started showing his true colors. Katniss, who was stressed and struggling to take care of her sister and mother, was grateful to have a boyfriend at all. As her mother got worse, it was nice to be able to turn to Cato and let him take care of her. He was attentive in bed and gave the best back massages, but unfortunately he had little patience for what he called her "family bullshit."

Their relationship was rocky long before Mrs. Everdeen's first suicide attempt, but Katniss knew Cato wouldn't stick around after that. And to be honest, it no longer mattered. Katniss didn't need Cato. She didn't need anyone. She had bigger things to worry about than a sneering boy who had never struggled a day in his life.

She wasn't entirely sure how dating worked anymore, especially now that she was twenty-two. Did guys expect sex on the first date? Yeah, guys had expected it when she was a teenager, but that didn't mean they were going to get it. But she was older now. An adult. Sex on the first date happened.

Did she want it to happen? Cato was the only guy she had ever been with, and look how well that turned out.

A knock at the door pulled her away from the bathroom mirror. She wasn't going to overthink this. This was the same sweet, funny guy she had been texting for the past few weeks. This was no big deal. This was—

Oh, shit. It really wasn't a big deal. She swung open the apartment door to reveal an almost unrecognizable Peeta wearing a baseball cap, hoodie, and faded pair of jeans.

She was going to kill Annie. Right now. She would excuse herself, shut the door, wait until Peeta took the hint and left, and then she would murder her roommate for talking her into this dress.

"Wow," Peeta said. "You look gorgeous."

"I'll be right back," Katniss said in a surprisingly steady voice. She disappeared down the hall, leaving a very confused Peeta standing in the doorway.

Katniss closed herself in Prim's room, who, thankfully, was sleeping over her friend Rue's house and knew nothing about Katniss's date. Otherwise, Prim, Rue, and several of their friends would have been crammed into the living room to witness her embarrassment.

Through the walls, Katniss heard Annie greet Peeta and invite him inside. Katniss cringed. How could she have left him standing there like that? At least Annie had been polite.

And really, this wasn't Annie's fault. After all, Katniss was the one who assumed it was a date, and Annie had just been trying to help. She felt like an idiot. Of course he wasn't interested in dating her. He was ridiculously handsome, crazy talented, and a member of the hottest band in the country. He could literally have any girl he wanted.

Besides, he had never once used the word date. All he said was that he wanted to see her. Hang out. She had injected her own meaning into his words. This was no one's fault but her own.

Katniss stood in the center of the room and took a deep breath. This was ridiculous. She had been in much worse situations. So she had dressed up for a low-key hangout. Whatever. If Peeta was as nice as she thought he was, he wouldn't tease her about it. She wasn't going to let this ruin the night.

She pulled off the dress and slipped into her original outfit: jeans, flats, a billowy tank top, and a green cardigan. At the last minute, she twisted her hair into her usual braid.

Annie spun around to face her as soon as she emerged from Prim's room. With wide eyes, Annie mouthed 'I'm sorry' but Katniss smiled and shook her head slightly.

"Well, have fun you two," Annie said.

Peeta shook Annie's hand. "It was nice seeing you again." He followed Katniss out the door.

"You changed," he said as they headed toward the elevator.

"Oh yeah, I was little overdressed," Katniss replied, staring straight ahead.

"You looked gorgeous. You should have left the dress on. Make people wonder what a slob like me is doing with a girl like you."

Her cheeks burned. She hoped the make-up Annie applied hid it. "I'm more comfortable like this, anyway."

"Okay, but I saw your hair down. I know it's possible," he said and pushed the elevator button. "Sorry, by the way. I should have warned you I'd be dressed down. This is my incognito, please-don't-let-legions-of-screaming-preteens-recognize-me look."

"That's a very specific look."

"I've had a while to perfect it. Where should we go for dinner?" he asked as the doors slid open.

Another pang of disappointment hit her, displacing the pleasure his compliment had given her. It wasn't as if she had expected him to appear at her door in a suit with reservations to a swanky restaurant. But she had expected something. A little excitement. A nice shirt. A plan.

"Sorry, I've only been to Connecticut on tour. I wasn't sure what was good around here."

"It's no problem," Katniss said. "I've got a place in mind."

* * *

This was terrible. No, excruciating. Peeta had glanced at his phone at least five times since a waitress had led them to their seats at The Hob Bar &amp; Grille. He kept looking around too, as if expecting to see someone he knew. Someone infinitely more interesting than her.

Their conversation started, sputtered out, and died. Repeatedly. Despite trying to sweep the feelings aside, she was still embarrassed and disappointed about the confusion earlier. It was obvious now that this wasn't a date. This was barely dinner between friends.

When Peeta frowned down at his cell phone again, Katniss spoke up. "Do you need to call someone?"

"Oh no, I'm sorry." He sighed and shoved his phone back into his pocket. "I should just turn this off."

"It's okay if you do. If Effie calls in the next hour, I have to answer or she'll hunt me down." Katniss gave him what she hoped was an encouraging smile.

Before Peeta could reply, the waitress brought over their meals.

"Can I get you two anything else?"

They shook their heads. Katniss wondered if the waitress noticed the tension, if she could recognize how terribly this was going.

"I hope you had a chance for a home-cooked meal before you got here," Katniss said.

"Huh?" Peeta had been studying his bacon cheeseburger quite intently. "Oh, right. Yeah."

She could just smile back at his lame response and dig into her food. There was no need for scintillating conversation as they devoured their burgers. Then, he would drive her home in painful silence, and the night would finally, blessedly end.

But she had to find out what had happened. How had their three weeks of flirting turned into this?

"Peeta, is there something wrong?"

"No," he said way too quickly.

Katniss pushed her plate forward and rested her hands on the table. "Look, if you regret coming out here, it's fine. Just tell me."

"What? No! No, that's not it."

"Then, what is it?"

He pulled off his baseball cap and ran a hand through his hair. The appearance of his blonde curls was almost enough to distract her from the situation, but then he had to go and open his mouth.

"I know about your mom."

She must have heard him wrong. She wished, desperately, that she had heard him wrong. But the nausea that swept over her, the same sickness that always hit her when her mother was mentioned, said otherwise.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry. Haymitch ran a background check on you. I had no idea about your mom or that you're Prim's legal guardian. I just thought—"

She couldn't believe how fast the residual embarrassment and disappointment disappeared as anger took their place. "Of course you didn't," she cut in. "That's not something you casually share over a text message with someone you've known less than a month."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"

Despite the anger roaring through her, she managed to keep her voice steady. "I'm not hungry anymore."

She stood, her face a blank slate, her hands still and calm, and walked toward the exit.

She heard the clatter of silverware, the scrape of his chair. She heard him call out her name. But she didn't stop.

The night was warm, too warm for mid-September. The air felt heavy against her skin, thick and sticky. It was making her light-headed. She wished they had taken her car to the restaurant, so she could jump in, turn up the air conditioner, and drive home without another word.

But they had taken his rental.

"Katniss, wait!"

She was already halfway down the block, walking past an ice cream shop, but she spun around at the sound of his voice.

"What else did it say?" she demanded, her jaw clenched. "Did you see my grades from my one and only semester at community college? What about my eviction notice from my last apartment?"

"I'm so sorry," Peeta said. "I never should have read what he found. He was just worried."

"Worried about what? That I'm looking to make a quick buck off you? Is that what you think?"

"No! Haymitch is an idiot. He just wants to protect his product. Finnick has had a few bad experiences in the past, girlfriends selling private pictures of the two of them, and—"

"Wait." Katniss held up her hand. Her throat ached the way it always did when she wanted to cry, but she was not going to cry over a guy, especially one from a stupid, overhyped boy band. "Is that why you were sending me pictures? Were you waiting to see if I sold them?"

"No! God, no, I was just trying to flirt with you!"

"Well, you're really shitty at it," she snapped. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a group of teenage girls staring at them through the glass front of the ice cream shop. Perfect. They had an audience.

"Can we start tonight over? Please?"

She turned away from the girls and stared at Peeta. He looked so sad, so earnest. She didn't know how to explain that there was no reset button for the situation. She felt raw and exposed. All she had wanted was a fun night out with a guy she liked, and instead, he had dug up the painful bits of her past. Did the rest of the band know? Did they think she was using Peeta too? Maybe they pitied her instead.

She wasn't sure which was worse.

Just thinking about her mother's suicide made her want to crawl into bed. She hated that feeling of sadness and hopelessness, the kind that went bone deep and stole all her energy. It scared her.

She wouldn't give into it. She wouldn't let Prim down. She would let herself be sad tonight, but tomorrow when she woke up, it would be like tonight had never happened.

"I'm really tired. I'd rather just go home."

Peeta stared at her for a moment, as if contemplating his next move. Would he keep trying? A part of her wanted him to, wanted him not to give up despite his colossal fuck up.

Finally, he said, "Okay. Stay here. I'll pull the car around."

She didn't know why she was disappointed. She had told him she wanted to go home. What had she been thinking anyway? He would sweep her off her feet like some Hollywood romance? Not likely.

"No thanks. I'll find my own way home."

"Katniss, please. Let me drive you home."

"I'll be fine."

She was about to turn around when he grabbed her hand. She hated the way her heart sped up when he touched her. She yanked her arm away.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked. "Let me make this up to you."

"You can't," she said. "And don't worry about your pictures ending up online. I'll be deleting them all tonight."

She knew she was being childish in her attempt to hurt his feelings, but she hated that he could make her feel this way. This was why she didn't date. This was why she didn't try. She didn't have any more room in her life for disappointment and heartache.

"Katniss, this is not how we're saying goodbye."

She squeezed her eyes shut. She was so tired, so done with this entire day. It was time to put this night out of its misery.

She looked over at the ice cream shop. The girls were still there, eating and sneaking glances outside. Katniss wondered how old they were. If they were fans of District*4.

She knocked on the window, startling them.

"Hey!" she shouted. "Can you believe it? It's Peeta Mellark!"

The girls looked past her at Peeta. A couple of them looked confused, but a tall blonde girl let out a shriek. "I knew he looked familiar!"

"Katniss, come on," Peeta said.

The girls rushed out, chattering excitedly, pulling out their cellphones, asking for pictures.

Peeta, the perfect, doting star, smiled at the group and began posing for pictures, a fake smile plastered on his face.

Katniss walked off. She didn't bother looking back.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing!

The slam of the apartment door woke her, giving her just enough time to roll onto her back before Prim flew into the bedroom.

"Katniss!"

Prim jumped onto the twin bed, practically landing on top of her sister.

"Mmph. Morning," Katniss mumbled, moving over to give Prim a little space.

Katniss wasn't thrilled with the wakeup call, but she couldn't complain as she was currently in Prim's bed. There were only two bedrooms in the apartment, and rather than share with Prim, she slept on the pullout couch in the middle of the living room.

Whenever Prim slept over a friend's house, Katniss borrowed her bed for the night. The sofa bed was okay, but nothing beat a box spring and mattress.

Now that Prim was home, sleeping any later was out of the question. It wouldn't do Katniss any good to stay in bed for too long anyway. After last night, she needed to get up and occupy herself. Clean the apartment. Go grocery shopping. Get a jumpstart on her work for the week. She was sure Effie's fashion column was already waiting in her inbox.

"You'll never guess who was in the next town over last night," Prim said. "Peeta Mellark!"

The last remnants of sleep left Katniss at the sound of his name, leaving sadness in its place. She was grateful for the warm presence of Prim, even if it was a little early for such energy and excitement.

"Really?" Katniss forced out.

"Bristel texted me and Rue. At first we didn't believe her, but she's friends with the group of girls who saw him! They took pictures with him and everything!"

"Wow."

Prim was much too excited to notice Katniss's utter lack of enthusiasm.

"Rue asked if he was in town to see me." Prim covered her face to hide her smile. "She was joking, of course. But wouldn't that be romantic? If he remembered me from the concert and wanted to see me again?"

Katniss turned onto her side to give Prim a critical look. "That wouldn't be romantic. That would be illegal. He's twenty-three."

"Still," Prim sighed. "I wonder why he's here. Do you think he's still around?"

"How should I know?"

Prim stuck her tongue out at Katniss. "You're cranky."

"Sorry. I was up late last night."

Katniss had ended up hiding in a coffee shop while she waited for Annie to pick her up. When they had arrived back at their apartment, Katniss had explained everything that had happened. (And she meant everything. Annie had demanded every detail down to Peeta's facial expressions and tone.)

The pair had stayed up late watching lame sitcoms and gorging themselves on ice cream. Katniss had only gone into Prim's bedroom when Annie could no longer keep her eyes open.

Katniss had remained awake for a couple of hours more, alternating between trying to sleep and rereading three weeks' worth of text messages.

It was pathetic. At least she hadn't cried.

Well, at least she hadn't cried in front of Annie.

But it was a new day now, and she had promised herself she wouldn't succumb to all these negative feelings. She was past this staying in bed all day business. She had things to do, a life to live.

"Poor Katniss," Prim said, smoothing down her sister's hair. "Working hard on your day off again?"

"Something like that."

Prim looked up at her sister, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Do you want to see a picture of him? From last night? Rue sent it to me."

Katniss already had a clear mental image of the night before: his blond hair sticking out from underneath his baseball cap, curling behind his ears; his faded jeans that probably cost more than she made in a day; his gray hoodie endorsing a sports team she had never heard of. She remembered his tentative smile, the way he couldn't look her in her eye, how they hadn't touched each other, not once, even by accident.

How had she missed the distance? How had it taken until halfway through dinner for her to see it?

"I met him in person. I'm sure he looks the same," Katniss said, getting out of bed.

"You're no fun!" Prim pulled the comforter over her head. "I'm going back to sleep. Rue and I were up until four."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "I'll wake you in a couple of hours. Then, homework."

"Yeah, yeah," Prim said.

Katniss grabbed her phone and slipped out of the room.

Three missed calls and two text messages.

All from Peeta Mellark.

Awesome.

She powered off her phone and shoved it into the kitchen junk drawer. It was tempting to crawl back into bed with Prim, or at least collapse on the couch. She hopped in the shower instead.

* * *

He apologized for reading the background check. Again.

He apologized for ignoring her text messages before he flew in. Again.

He apologized for being an asshole. Again.

She didn't respond to his messages. She didn't return his calls.

On Wednesday, in a change of pace from the flurry of messages he had been sending, he sent her just one: _I'm still in town. I really want to talk face to face before I have to leave._

She ignored it.

* * *

In a miraculous turn of events, Effie let Katniss leave work an entire hour early on Friday. Katniss decided this was the universe's way of apologizing for making her endure the world's worst first date.

For the first time all week, Katniss was in a good mood. Prim had plans to sleep at Rue's again, Annie had plans to go to the movies with friends, and Katniss had plans to sit on the couch, stuff her face with Chinese food, and watch whatever movie looked the funniest on Netflix.

It was going to be a good night.

Her positive attitude faltered when she walked through the front entrance of her apartment building and spotted, of all people, the two jealous girls from the District*4 concert hovering by the mailboxes. She was pretty sure their names were Clove and Shimmer. Maybe Glimmer? Whatever, it was something ridiculous.

According to Prim, they were mean, spoiled girls that liked to tease her about the clothes she wore and luxuries she couldn't afford. Very classy.

"Hi, girls," Katniss said. "Can I help you?"

"Oh!" Shimmer/Glimmer exclaimed. "Your Prim's sister, right? Katniii…" She trailed off.

"Katniss."

"Right, Katniss! Yeah, um, Prim invited us over? But we can't remember her apartment number?"

Katniss resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She couldn't stand the blonde's high-pitched voice, the way it rose at the end each statement, turning them into questions. Katniss also doubted she was telling the truth. While they had been marginally nicer since the concert, Prim still—and this was a direct quote—"could not stand those two-faced, lying bitches."

Katniss hadn't even scolded her sister for swearing. It was the most appropriate word for the pair.

Shimmer/Glimmer seemed harmless enough. She was pretty with perfectly groomed hair and a bright smile, but she seemed…insubstantial. As if she needed other people to fill her in, give her something to say and think.

Clove, on the other hand, was unnerving. She was quiet, but it was more of a calculating quiet than a sign of shyness. Instead of joining the conversation, she was taking it all in, planning her next move.

Super creepy.

"I guess you girls can follow me," Katniss said. If this was a trick, and she had a feeling it was, then Katniss would be more than happy to escort them out with a few choice words of her own.

It would be the cherry on top of this promising evening.

Clove and Glimmer followed Katniss into the elevator. They kept glancing at each other, communicating silently with raised eyebrows and quirks of their mouths. It gave Katniss a bad feeling.

They trailed behind her as she approached her apartment door. Glimmer giggled obnoxiously until Clove bumped her shoulder and ordered her to shut up in a harsh whisper.

Yeah, this was going to be bad, but they were at the door, and there was no turning back now. Katniss wasn't too worried, anyway. She had no problem tearing apart two stuck-up teenagers if they so much as looked at Prim wrong.

She opened the door and a delicious scent wafted out into the hall. Her mouth watered as she recognized it as lamb stew. Annie was a vegetarian, but she did know lamb stew was Katniss's favorite. Maybe she was making her some comfort food behind she left for the evening. Katniss would happily forgo Chinese for a good, home-cooked meal.

"Oh my God, Prim, how many friends do you have?" Annie called out. "Alright, hand over the—" She came around the corner, hand outstretched, and gasped when she saw it was Katniss. "You're home early!"

"A small miracle," Katniss said. "Prim's still here? I found a couple of her, uh, friends in the lobby."

"I don't see him," Glimmer whispered. "Bristel was probably lying."

"Shut up," Clove said again. "We're barely inside."

Katniss spun around and gave the girls a hard look. "What is going on?"

"Rue! Bristel! Lily!" Glimmer called with an enthusiastic wave.

Katniss looked over her shoulder, and sure enough, all three of Prim's classmates were standing a couple of feet away with Prim hiding behind them. Katniss rounded the corner into the living room and found six more girls.

Holy crap. There were ten high school girls crowded into her living room. Twelve now that Glimmer and Clove had talked their way in. What the hell was going on? Prim had had slumber parties before, but she had always asked Katniss's permission first.

And she had certainly never invited _eleven_ girls over. They barely fit!

A bad, bad feeling washed over Katniss as she surveyed the starry-eyed girls squished onto the couch, loveseat and floor. They kept glancing over at the entrance to the kitchen. Prim was the only one looking at Katniss, and she was giving Katniss her Disney Princess look. The lip-biting-eyes-fluttering-please-don't-be-mad-at-me look.

Katniss glared at Annie. "What is going on?"

And then, of course, Peeta freaking Mellark walked out of the kitchen and said, "Surprise?"

God damn it, universe.

"Alright, girls, time to go," Annie announced.

A chorus of refusals rang out, but Annie shook her head. "You've all seen him. It's time to go. Come on." She picked up a basket of cell phones and ushered the girls into the hallway where she returned their phones one by one.

Katniss kept her arms folded across her chest, her body angled away from Peeta. She stared at Prim and Rue, instead, the only two teenagers that remained.

"I would say sorry," Prim began, "but I think you owe me an apology first."

Katniss wasn't sure she was capable of language with Peeta standing so close. She was relieved when he seemed to take the hint that this conversation did not include him and went back into the kitchen.

"You're dating Peeta Mellark, and you didn't tell me!"

"We are _not_ dating," Katniss said very calmly. She was proud of how steady her voice sounded despite the anger coursing through her. She was once again planning Annie's murder because she knew Annie had let this happen. Even if Prim had been the one to let him into the apartment, Annie hadn't kicked them out.

"Whatever. You've been talking to him."

Katniss shrugged. "So?"

"So? You've been talking to—"

"Do not say his name. Please." She couldn't take hearing his full name one more time. Everywhere she looked, there he was, plastered on magazine covers, interviewed on television, singing on the radio, _standing in her kitchen_.

He was there when she wasn't looking too. When she was trying to fall asleep at night and pretend he didn't exist.

She was _so sick _of Peeta Mellark.

"Where did all the girls come from?" she asked.

The front door closed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Annie slink along the wall and disappear into the kitchen.

"I came home after school to get the rest of my stuff, and he was here with Annie. I just texted Rue and Bristel. I guess word got out."

"It would seem that way," Katniss said.

"I can't believe he's here. In our kitchen."

"Me neither," Katniss said. And she couldn't. After she ignored his last text on Wednesday, she had assumed he'd flown back to his glamorous life in California.

"You have no idea how popular this is going to make me. Did you see Glimmer and Clove's faces? They looked ready to die! I don't know who texted them, but I need to thank them."

"Don't you have a sleepover to get to?" Katniss asked.

"You can't expect us to leave now!" Prim insisted. "Peeta Mel—"

"Why does everyone use his full name?" Katniss demanded. "How many famous pop stars are named Peeta? How many people in the world could possibly be named Peeta? You do not have to use his last name to clarify which Peeta you're referring to. I know! Everybody knows."

Prim gaped at Katniss, surprised at her sudden outburst.

"Goodbye, Prim. Goobye, Rue. Have fun tonight."

"You too," Rue said quietly, trying and failing to keep a smile off her face.

"Okay, but when I get home, we are having a conversation about this," Prim said.

In that moment, Prim not only looked like their mother but sounded just like her too. The only thing her warning was missing was a "young lady" to punctuate her point.

It made Katniss's heart hurt, but she had to ignore it. She focused on her anger and made a new plan for the evening: Yell at Annie, yell at Peeta, kick them both out, and go to bed.

Not exactly what she had in mind for tonight, but there wasn't much she could do about it now.

"Hey, Katniss," Annie said in a small voice. She stood in the threshold of the kitchen, arms folded behind her back, her right leg bouncing up and down.

"Are you still helping your guest in the kitchen? Or do you have a minute for a private conversation?"

Annie opened her mouth to respond and then nodded instead. She rushed into her bedroom. Katniss followed, closing the door behind them.

"Explain," Katniss said.

"Right, okay, so I know we decided that Peeta Mellark is a jerk."

Katniss bit back a groan. Seriously. What was with the full name?

"And I know letting him into our apartment could be misconstrued as another invasion of your privacy, but—" Annie held up her hand when Katniss tried to interrupt. She spit out the rest of her words in a rush. "But I think you should give him another chance."

"_What_?"

"Look, he did a shitty thing. I agree with you one hundred percent," Annie explained. She tugged at her hair, hiding her face behind the curtain of red, and Katniss softened her expression. Her roommate was loyal and overly cautious. Letting Peeta come over behind Katniss's back was pretty out of character for her, so Annie must have believed she had a good reason to do it. "But, in my humble, unimportant, can totally be ignored opinion, it's not an unforgivable thing."

When Katniss didn't try to interrupt, Annie plowed forward.

"I've heard both sides of the story, and as it turns out, his version was almost the exact same as yours."

"What was different?" Katniss asked.

"He said he never thought you were using him."

Katniss nearly jumped off the bed. "Really. Then why did he read my background check? Why was he acting so weird?"

Annie shrugged. "I guess you have to talk to him about that. If you want to that is."

Katniss thought longingly of her uncomfortable office chair and the computer screen she had stared at for hours today. How she wished she was back there now

"How did he end up in our kitchen?"

"He messaged me on Facebook, actually," Annie said. "I didn't believe it was really him. I made him take a picture and send it to me before I'd give him my number."

"He does love taking pictures of himself," Katniss said, rather unfairly. He loved taking pictures of himself to send to her. She thought of all the images she had saved on her phone, ranging from goofy faces to sleepy smiles.

"He just wanted a chance to apologize again, face to face," Annie said. "But he said if I didn't think he should, then he wouldn't. He said he didn't want to make your life any more difficult."

Katniss sank onto Annie's bed with a drawn out sigh. Annie sat beside her.

"If you want him to leave, I'll kick him out. Right now. I'm sure he'll leave the dinner he's been slaving over."

"He's making me dinner?"

Annie bumped her shoulder against Katniss's. "Yes. I suggested he come to you rather than have him ambush you out in public. He said he could cook, so I put him to the test."

"I don't know," Katniss said softly. "He really..." She couldn't finish the sentence. She didn't want to talk about this anymore. He had hurt her, yes, fine. Did she really need to go over it again?

"I know," Annie said. Because she did. Because she had listened to everything Katniss had said Saturday night. Because she knew Katniss better than anyone, even Prim. "But I also know that when you two were texting, you were really happy. So much happier than you've been in a long time."

Of course Katniss had been happy. For the first time in over two years, someone of the opposite sex had shown an interest in her. She was sure if another guy started texting her she would be just as happy.

It didn't have to be Peeta with his stupid, endearing pictures or thoughtful messages.

It could be anyone.

Really.

"Have I ever thanked you for breaking your lease and moving into an apartment with me and Prim?" Katniss asked.

"Hmm." Annie scratched her chin, pretending to think. "I think only about a thousand times."

"Thank you," Katniss said. "I think I need to keep saying it."

Annie laid her head on Katniss's shoulder. Even though Katniss wasn't a huge fan of physical contact, she let Annie stay because Annie was her best friend, and Annie was always, always looking out for her.

"Do you think you can get me Finnick Odair's number?" Annie asked.

"Okay, our moment is over." Katniss pushed Annie back onto the bed before standing. "I'm going to change."

"Are you dressing up?" Annie asked.

Katniss scoffed. As if she was going to do that again. She was going to wash her face of the little make-up she wore and put on sweatpants. It was Friday night, this entire week had sucked, and she had no intention of leaving this apartment.

She was going the comfortable route. Who did she have to impress?

* * *

Ugh. She had undone her braid with the intention of redoing it, but she ended up leaving it down.

Because she had no self-respect apparently. It wasn't as if she had put on make-up. Just a reapplication of deodorant and a spray of one of Prim's perfumes.

She didn't look or smell like a slob, but she sure as hell wasn't dressed up. She had even avoided her yoga pants lest Peeta think she had chosen the form-fitting leggings with him in mind.

By the time she emerged from Prim's bedroom dressed in a green tank top and a pair of comfy gray sweatpants, Annie had left.

Katniss hovered in the doorway of the kitchen, watching Peeta stir something on the stove. He was definitely more dressed up this time. The jeans looked the same, but he had ditched the hoodie for a slate gray button-up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His baseball cap was missing too, so she had a clear view of his blond hair. It looked as if he had applied some sort of product to it, but after running his fingers through it one too many times, several pieces were sticking up.

He looked hot, which pissed her off. He wasn't going to make this easy.

"Hey," she said.

Peeta jumped. "Wow, I didn't hear you coming."

She shrugged, leaning against the entryway. "I get that a lot."

He laid the spoon on the counter. "Look, Katniss, if you don't want me here, I'll go."

"You can stay," she said. "At least until the food runs out."

He gave her a lopsided grin. "It's a good thing I made dessert then too." He gestured to the table. "I'm almost done. Do you want to…."

"I'll stand."

"Oh. Okay. I'll just…" He trailed off again. "I want to do this right this time."

"Okay," she said. "This time we'll actually eat."

"No, that's not what I mean. I—I should have texted you back before I flew here. I shouldn't have acted so weird at the restaurant. I felt like I was keeping this huge secret from you, and I was so mad at myself. I didn't know what to say to you or how to act."

She fidgeted under his intense stare. "The truth is always a good place to start."

"Right." He approached her but didn't close the last couple of feet between them. "I like you. A lot. I wanted to hop on a plane as soon as our last concert was over, but Finnick talked me into sleeping. He said I should wait until I was a functioning human being."

"Smart man, that Finnick." She forced the words out, tried to tease him, but she couldn't find the humor in the situation.

"Haymitch is an asshole. He doesn't see people. Just dollar signs. But what I did was worse. When he gave me the report, he asked if I knew about your family. He told me I should know what I was getting into."

Katniss scowled and folded her arms across her chest. She thought of Prim, who was finally returning to normal, socializing and studying and having an actual life. The nightmares about their mother had even abated. How dare Haymitch read a few facts on a piece of paper and presume he knew anything about her or her family. How dare he think she should come with a warning label.

"'What you're getting into?'" she echoed. "Are you serious?"

"Wait, those were his words, not—"

Katniss cut him off. "So he's worried that I'm so desperate for money, I'll spill all your secrets to the media? Or better yet, maybe I'll just sleep with you and hope for a handout."

Peeta's eyes widened and he held up his hands as if to stop her onslaught of words. "That's not—"

"Or is it my mother that's worrying him? Does he think I'll end up crazy too? A good tragedy would be great publicity for you. Think of all the material that would give you for your next album!"

"Just stop! That's not what it's like!"

Katniss charged past him and slammed one of the cabinet doors shut. "I can't believe Annie let you in here. You're in my kitchen, using my dishes, like we're friends, like any of this is okay!"

Her words were rushing out, stumbling over each other. She could feel herself getting hysterical. She just wanted to yell at him until the pounding in her head stopped.

She was just like her mother: angry and sad and empty. One day, she'd crack too, and then Prim would have no one. Nothing.

"Katniss." Her name came out quiet and calm.

She spun around to face him, relieved, at least, that she wasn't crying. She was too angry for that.

"What?" she snapped.

"I'm sorry I hurt you."

She dug her nails into her palm, tried to calm her breathing. "I know."

"I never thought you were using me. Not when we were texting, not when I read your background check, not when I took you out to dinner."

He closed the distance between them. He took her hands in his, and she let him.

"I read it because I was worried about what he meant about your family. Not because I thought you had some ulterior motive. I mean, really? You didn't even want a backstage pass. You looked like you could care less about me."

"I did care though," she said quietly.

"I just wanted to know more about you. Honestly. I know that's not an excuse. I know what I did was wrong and an invasion of your privacy, which when you consider who I am is really hypocritical. I just…" He sighed. "I wish I could take it back. I wish I could do this whole thing over."

She stared down at their clasped hands. All the fight had drained out of her. Even her anger had abandoned her, leaving her exhausted and empty.

Cato had claimed to care about her, but he had never wanted to deal with her family issues. As soon as her mother swallowed a handful of pills, as soon as Katniss really needed someone to stand behind her, give her a little hope, he had left.

And here was Peeta, trying to push his way in. She would much rather have told him about her mother herself, but he knew now. She couldn't change that. And if she looked past how he had learned about it, focused on the fact that he was here anyway, holding her hands, telling her he cared…

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Katniss said.

"Okay." He sounded defeated. He looked defeated. "Do you want me to go?"

"Yes," she said. "I'll walk you to the door."

Pain flashed across his face, but he nodded. "Just give the stew a few more minutes," he said. "And dessert is staying warm in the oven."

"Thanks."

He followed her out of the kitchen and through the living room. He didn't speak until she opened the door.

"Katniss."

"Don't. Please, just…" She looked out into the hallway.

He squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and walked out. He turned to look at her one more time.

"Thank you. Now count to five and then knock," Katniss said.

"What?" Peeta's forehead furrowed as he absorbed her words. "I don't understand."

"Just count to five. Then knock." She shut the door.

It was her turn to take a deep breath, steel herself for whatever came next. She wasn't making a mistake. She wasn't.

She counted silently in her head. He knocked right on time. She smoothed down her hair, opened the door, and smiled.

"Hi, Peeta."

"Um, hey…"

"Do you want to come in? You're probably exhausted from your flight."

His entire face lit up at her words. She had missed that smile, wide and bright and hopeful.

"Yes, it was absolutely exhausting. It feels like it took me forever to get here."

He pulled her into a hug. The sudden physical contact startled her, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into chest. His cologne was intoxicating, but it was the faint scent of sugar cookies and cinnamon underneath that made her dizzy.

When he rested his chin on top of her head, something stirred within her, something she couldn't identify. It was warm and comforting, almost like the relief she felt coming home after a long day of work.

"Thanks for letting me visit," he said. "I missed you."

She didn't say anything back. She couldn't. But she stayed there in his arms for a few seconds longer before pulling away.

"Let's eat," she said.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. The good news is it shouldn't be nearly as long for the next chapter. HUGE thank you to seemaree and myusernamehere for helping me brainstorm and get this story on a good path.

Katniss snorted mid-laugh, but there was enough alcohol in her system to save her from embarrassment. She dropped down to the floor in front of the couch, a newly opened bottle of wine in her hand.

"A thirteen-year-old girl did not scale the side of a hotel building to meet you."

"She didn't scale the building," Peeta clarified. "She climbed from one balcony to the next. And why would I lie?"

Katniss topped off her drink and refilled Peeta's cup. "You're trying to make yourself look more desirable."

Peeta rolled his eyes. "I would come up with a much better story if that were true. And I guarantee it would feature someone of a legal age."

"So did you give Spidergirl an autograph?" Katniss asked.

"Yup. We all signed her t-shirt and took pictures with her while we waited for security."

"You're just encouraging them. They're going to show up with rock climbing equipment next."

"She nearly died trying to meet us. The least we could do was take a few pictures."

Katniss tried to decide if Peeta and his friends were overly nice or absolutely crazy. It seemed it was a combination of both.

Peeta took a sip of his drink. "I have a confession to make."

"Oh no, not another one."

"I've never had wine before tonight."

Her jaw dropped. "Really? What do you think?"

"I absolutely, one-hundred percent hate it."

"Then give me yours," Katniss demanded. "I will not waste perfectly good wine on someone who doesn't like it." She went for his cup, but he held it out of reach.

"Wait, wait." Peeta pushed Katniss's hand away. "I hated the first glass. This is my third. I'm very much a fan now."

Katniss laughed. "Yeah, a third round of anything is bound to be enjoyable."

They tapped plastic cups—Katniss didn't bother with fancy glasses—and took another sip.

She was drunk. Or at least getting there. Her head felt funny, like there was too much space between her skull and brain. Everything seemed like a good idea, and her reaction time wasn't fast enough to say otherwise.

She wanted to kiss Peeta.

She was supposed to be mad at him, she remembered that much. But the night was finally going well. Dinner had been awkward, although dessert had been slightly better. The food was delicious, at least. It was after she broke out the wine, and they sat on her living room floor, drinking and talking that the mood changed. And now his cheeks were flushed the same color as the pink Beringer they were drinking, and he kept touching her leg with his, and really, she was just going to kiss him.

"I have another confession," Peeta said.

"Okay, one more and that's it. You've reached your daily allotment," she said, already imagining how soft his lips would feel.

"Alright, sounds fair." Peeta put his cup down. The air in the room changed.

"My mom used to beat the crap out of me," Peeta said.

"What?" She stared at him, wide-eyed.

"When I did poorly on a test or dropped a cake or burned a tray of bread or was in her sight for too long." He paused as if to gather courage before continuing. Katniss wanted to tell him to stop, but she couldn't find the words.

"I'm not sure what I did to piss her off because she's been like that my whole life. My earliest memory of my mother is her standing over me as I cried, calling me an ungrateful child. I think I might have been three."

"Peeta," Katniss whispered. "You don't—why are you telling me this?"

"Because I trust you."

She shook her head. "That's not how this works. You don't exchange one secret for another, and then everything is okay."

"I know. But I wanted to try. I wanted to show you."

"I don't know what to say."

"There's nothing _to _say, so don't worry about it. It's a shitty situation." He shrugged. "I have to pay her an allowance every month to keep her from blabbing to the media. Isn't that fucked up?" He gulped down half his cup and made a face before continuing. "She screwed up my life, but now I have to pay her to keep it a secret."

While Peeta insisted he trusted Katniss, that he only read her background check out of worry, she was beginning to understand why Peeta might have trust issues in the first place. He had to pay his own mother not to reveal his secrets. Why should he trust some girl he barely knew?

But he said he did. He was telling her all this to prove it.

"What could she possibly say that would make you look bad?"

"My mother has a way of skewing the truth, making people see what she wants them to see. She is a master at emotional manipulation." He stared down into his cup. "She could ruin my whole career with one phone call."

"You deserve so much better," she said.

"You did too." She stiffened, and he immediately realized he had said the wrong thing. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"You didn't know my mother. You couldn't imagine what it was like for her. Please don't assume—"

"I'm sorry. I only meant that you deserve the best."

She covered her face, frustrated. "We're doing this all wrong."

"What do you mean?" Gently, he pulled her hands away.

"This isn't the order of things. We both know each other's deep dark secrets, but I barely know anything else about you."

"We don't have to follow a certain order, you know. There's no right or wrong way to do a relationship."

Katniss looked away. "There's a wrong way. Trust me."

"Fine. Let's not think of it as right or wrong. Let's just think of it as our way. We start with the big stuff and work our way back."

Alcohol had relaxed her, loosened her tongue, and she thought, _why not?_ They could share their emotional baggage with each other, prove they were strong enough to carry the other's, and then move on to the fun stuff.

"I'm afraid I'm going to screw up raising Prim," she said. "My grandparents wanted her after my mom died, but I fought so hard for her. Sometimes I think she would be better off if I had just let her go. Is that big enough?"

"I haven't spoken to my older brother in four years because he took my mother's side. We communicate through Christmas cards and lawyers."

"I'm afraid I'll end up just like my mother. I feel it sometimes in the morning when I can't seem to talk myself into getting out of bed."

"Everyone says I'm charming and articulate, but all I can think is that I'm just like her. Emotionally manipulative."

"I guess we're both kind of crazy," Katniss said.

"This is kind of nice," Peeta said. "Cathartic."

"I don't mind working for Effie, but I don't want to do it forever. The problem is I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life."

"I don't want to be in a boy band when I'm thirty. I want to write my own stuff, but I doubt I'll ever be taken seriously."

"You could be the next Justin Timberlake."

He tilted his head and smiled. "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Katniss laid her head on his shoulder, dropped her hand on his knee. He was warm and smelled like the apple pie he had made for dessert. She wanted to climb into his lap, wrap her arms around him. She wanted to protect him from his mother, from his manager, from every person who wanted to exploit him or harm him.

"You're right," she said. "That was kind of nice. It's like, now that you know all the heavy stuff, I can tell you anything, and it'll be okay."

"You _can_ tell me anything."

"I've known you a month. I've only spent a few hours with you in person."

"So? Sometimes, people just click."

"But why? Why me?" she asked, tracing circles on his knee.

"What do you mean?"

"You could have any girl you wanted."

"Well, good. Because I want you."

She was kissing him then, unsure who had made the first move but not caring. He tasted sweet, like the wine, and faintly of cinnamon. In that moment, she forgot how to be sad at what they had both endured and still had to face. All she knew was that he was here: warm and kind and handsome and hers.

She climbed onto his lap, and he pulled her close. His hand slipped beneath her tank top, fingers splayed across the small of her back. She felt secure, steady. An earthquake could rock the city, but he would hold her still.

Her hand trailed from his hair to his neck to his collarbone, her fingertips tracing his skin, mapping the exposed parts of him. There were so many layers in between them, so many things that still needed to be said, but she desperately wanted to discover him.

The key in the door was all the warning they got. By the time Annie rounded the corner, Katniss and Peeta were sitting side by side on the floor, quietly trying to control their breathing.

"Oh!" Annie exclaimed. "I'm sorry. I didn't think Peeta would still be here."

"It's fine," Katniss said. "We just lost track of the time. What time is it, anyway?"

"One-thirty."

Katniss could not remember the last time Annie had stayed out past midnight. A wave of appreciation washed over her as she realized Annie had tried to give Katniss and Peeta as much time as they needed. She would have to thank Annie in the morning.

"I'm off to my room. Goodnight you two."

"Night, Annie," Peeta said with a little wave.

As soon as the door shut, Peeta turned to Katniss. "C'mere," he said. "I want to take a picture."

"Of what? Of me?"

"Of both of us." He dug his phone out of his pocket and powered it on. That explained the lack of phone calls and text messages. This was the first time she had seen Peeta's phone all night.

"I want to remember tonight. I want a reminder," he said.

He opened up the camera app and threw his arm around her shoulders. She snuggled in next to him, and he snapped a picture. She squeezed her eyes shut and nuzzled his neck, the bright light of the flash glowing beneath her eyelids.

"How was that for order?" he asked. "Dinner, dessert, drinks, dark secrets, kiss. That sounds right for a date."

She held his hand, knocked her foot against his. She wondered if touching like this, talking like this would be as easy sober.

"You didn't walk me to my door, but I guess it's close enough."

"We're in your door," Peeta reminded her. "Where should I have walked you?"

"Good point." She stood up and held out her hand. "You're staying here tonight, by the way."

His eyebrows shot up. "Am I?"

She retracted her hand and folded her arms across her chest. "Not like that. I mean, you can't drive. I'm not sure you could walk a straight line right now. You can have my bed."

"No way!" He stood up slowly, unsteady on his feet. "I'll take the couch."

"Good," she said. "The couch is my bed. Well, it folds out."

"You sleep on a foldout couch? Where's your bedroom?"

Despite the cool night air slipping in through the open window, Katniss suddenly felt too hot.

"This is my bedroom," she said. "I keep my stuff in Prim's room. I didn't…I didn't want to share a room with her. She's a teenager and she needs her privacy. And Annie broke her lease just to move in with us, so she had to have a bedroom, and yeah. Here I am."

She yanked off a couch cushion. Peeta did the same. As he unfolded the bed, Katniss grabbed a clean pillowcase and blanket from the hallway closet.

"Here," she said, holding out the linens.

He reached forward, but instead of grabbing the blanket, he pulled her toward him. The linens presented a barrier, but they were still close.

"Don't do that," he said.

"Do what?"

"Get weird on me."

"I'm not."

He brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes, pushed them behind her ear.

"I'm not," she repeated. "It's just a little embarrassing showing a multimillionaire my bedroom that doubles as a living room."

"You don't ever have to be embarrassed around me, okay? We shared the heavy stuff. Anything from here on out is easy."

"That sounds way too idealistic."

"I didn't have my own room until two years ago. I used to share with my younger brother. And then when D*4 first started, I had to share a hotel room with the guys."

Katniss's mouth twisted in a half-smile. "I used to have my own room."

"You still do. Sort of."

She delivered a quick kiss to his cheek and released the linens. "Goodnight, Peeta."

"Night, Katniss."

* * *

A muffled shriek yanked Peeta out of sleep the next morning.

He heard a drawer shut and Katniss's voice. "Are you going to do that every time you see him?"

"That depends. Am I going to be seeing a lot more of him?"

That sounded like Prim.

"I don't know. And please keep your voice down."

"Oh, is he still sleeping?"

"Yes. And I have a headache."

"Someone looks hung over."

"Oh my god, Prim, it is too early for this."

"You still owe me an explanation."

"I do not owe my fifteen-year-old sister an explanation. However, if you kindly ask me later what's going on, I will consider telling you. Okay?"

Prim huffed. "Fine. I'm going to sleep for a couple of more hours."

"Bed's all yours."

Peeta felt a shadow fall over him. A few beats of silence passed.

"Prim, stop staring at him! He's just a person!"

"Fine, fine," Prim said. He could practically hear her rolling her eyes.

As soon as the bedroom door shut, Peeta went into the kitchen. He found Katniss sitting at the table, dressed in a pair of jeans and tank top and drinking a cup of coffee. Her hair was down, still damp from her shower.

"Hey," he said, leaning against the entryway.

"Hey," she said, staring down into her coffee.

"We should do something today," he said.

"I...I really can't. I have some work I need to get done for Effie."

"But it's Saturday." He took the seat across from her.

She glanced up at him and frowned. "Yeah, but I need to get a jumpstart on the week. I can't fall behind. Effie doesn't believe in paying for overtime."

"Can't you play catch up tomorrow?" He pouted at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"You look like a damn Disney prince."

"Does that mean it's working?"

"No, it means you're annoying. For someone who slept on a fold-out bed and drank nearly an entire bottle of wine, you should look a lot worse."

Peeta batted his lashes and put his hand on hers. She pulled back almost immediately.

"When's your return flight?" she asked.

"Uh, last Thursday."

She put her coffee cup down and gave him an _are-you-serious_ look.

He shrugged. "When Annie agreed to help, I knew I couldn't go back to LA yet."

"So when's your new flight?"

"I haven't made it yet," he said. "I've been thinking about staying here during my time off. I still have another three weeks before I have to go back."

Katniss brushed her hair over her shoulder. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

He knew there was something she wasn't saying. It was in the way she couldn't meet his eyes and wouldn't let him touch her. He had thought last night had gone well.

"Why not?"

"Peeta, I..." She sighed. "Look, last night was a mistake."

"It was just a kiss, Katniss. We didn't even sleep in the same bed."

"No, I mean, everything. The things we said to each other..." She shook her head. "It was too much. And I still don't trust you."

Peeta's face fell. "I thought...I thought that's why we told each other all that stuff. So we could trust each other."

"But that's not how trust works. It takes time, a solid foundation. You don't just spill everything over a bottle of wine one night and hope for the best."

"But that's what we did," he insisted. "And I'm not sorry we did it."

"Do you think you could give me some more time? To process everything?"

When they first made plans for his visit, he had jumped on the Internet and researched things to do in Connecticut. There were beaches to walk along, bookstores to visit, trails to hike. They could even hop a train to New York City and see a show. He imagined a month of dates, interrupted only by her work schedule and commitment to Prim. But he had ruined his chance. He had read her background check, and instead of coming clean about it, he had made her feel awkward and unwanted. He had spent their first date staring at his phone because looking her in the eye was too difficult.

God, he had fucked up, and he had no idea how to fix it.

"Maybe you can come back over tomorrow night?" she asked.

His heart leapt at her words. What would this be? His third chance? He didn't care as long as she granted it.

"Yeah," he said. "I'll be over around seven?"

"Okay."

He stood up and chanced a kiss on the cheek. She relaxed, her shoulders loosening, and she let out a breath he didn't realize she was holding. His hand lingered on her shoulder and she smiled up at him. Then, he returned to the living room where he pulled off the sheets and folded the bed back up. When he turned, he found her in the entryway of the kitchen.

"Thanks," she said. "For that and dinner and dessert."

"Thanks for the wine. I kind of want to throw up."

"Well, it doesn't show," she said as she backed down the hallway. "You still look like a rock star."

* * *

Katniss let herself into Annie's room and flounced onto the bed.

"Oof," Annie said from beneath the comforter. "Early?"

"No, it's nine-thirty."

"What?" Annie bolted upright.

"Relax, it's Saturday. You stayed out late last night, you poor thing."

Annie settled back against the pillows. "Johanna kept checking her phone and asking if I was going to turn into a pumpkin."

"Thanks," Katniss said, tapping Annie's hand. "I know you were trying to give me privacy."

"I was also trying to avoid being murdered. I didn't know what mood I'd come home to find you in."

"As it turns out, my mood was drunk and stupid." Katniss covered her face and groaned. "Peeta decided the best course of action was to spill all of our deepest secrets last night."

"Oh no."

"And I was like, sure, sounds like a great idea because I am an idiot."

"Cut yourself some slack. You were a _drunk _idiot."

"And then we kissed, and it was really good. Thank god you came home before anything else could happen."

"I knew it! I knew I was interrupting something!" Annie pumped her fist in the air. "You're making a face. A not-fist-pumping face." She slowly lowered her arm. "What's wrong?"

"I felt so angry and embarrassed that he knew everything about me, and now? I confess all this other stuff? I don't know. I think this is unfixable."

"Well, you might be right. It all depends."

"On what?"

"Do you want it to be fixable?"

Katniss stared at the ceiling, mulling over the question. Before she could answer, Prim let out a high pitched shriek and burst into Annie's room a second later.

"Oh my god! He asked me to homecoming!"

Annie and Katniss both sat up as Prim jumped onto the bed. "Marvel Jameson, oh my god!"

"Who's Marvel?" Annie asked.

"Is he a superhero?" Katniss said.

Prim bounced on Annie's bed before flopping down onto her knees. "No, he's just the coolest, hottest guy in my grade."

"Oh, that Marvel," Katniss said. "Sure."

"This is exciting! Be excited for Prim!" Annie ordered.

"I am excited! I didn't even know homecoming was coming up. When is it?"

"This Friday," Prim said.

"He's a last minute kind of guy, huh?" Katniss said.

"Who cares? He just sent me a text to ask if I wanted to go! I didn't even know he knew I existed!" Prim grinned and fell face first onto the bed, squished in between Katniss and Annie.

Katniss couldn't help smiling. No matter what was going on with her and Peeta, she could count on these two to be there for her. And it felt good, squashed into a small bed with her sister and best friend. She felt safe, comfortable. They knew who she was, and they accepted her. They loved her.

"I really am happy for you, Prim."

"We have to go shopping for a dress. Can we go today? Please, please?" Prim begged.

Crap. What were the chances of convincing Prim that Goodwill was a good place to shop for homecoming dresses?

Annie looked over at Katniss. Katniss sighed. "I guess we know what we're doing today."

* * *

To say dress shopping was a disaster would be a vast understatement.

Prim convinced Katniss to bring her to the mall by promising that if they couldn't find anything affordable, then they could go to a thrift shop.

Unfortunately, Prim found several attractive dresses including _the dress_. While Katniss and Annie took a break in the food court, Prim wandered into Nordstrom, even though Katniss had warned her it was off-limits.

The dark red dress—sleeveless with a neckline just this side of tasteful and a scalloped hemline—was $250.

Katniss didn't know this needed to be said, but not only could she not afford a $250 dress, she would never spend that much on a dress for homecoming. Or prom.

It was ridiculous, especially for a dress that would likely only be worn once.

The problem was Prim's reaction. Katniss had expected Prim to pitch a fit and insist all the other girls were going to high-end department stores for homecoming. She expected Prim to bring up Glimmer and Clove who, no doubt, had spent similar amounts on their dresses.

Instead, Prim just nodded, returned the dress to the rack, and asked if they could go to Goodwill. She was quiet on the trip over, and they spent a total of fifteen minutes browsing the store. She decided on the third dress she tried on—a light blue one with a modest neckline that hit below her knee.

Katniss would have preferred screaming or whining, not this sad, passive acceptance. She knew she should be grateful that Prim understood their financial situation, and that the D*4 tickets were a very special, not-soon-to-be-repeated treat, but Prim was also a teenager. They were supposed to be unreasonable.

When they arrived home, Prim thanked Annie and Katniss for taking her out before shutting herself in her room for the rest of the night.

"Don't worry about it," Annie said. "It's crazy to spend so much on one dress."

"I know," Katniss said. "But she was so excited this morning."

"And she will be again. Who cares about the dress when she's got the date?"

Katniss shrugged. "I guess. I just wish I could have given it to her. She deserves it after…you know, everything."

"It'll be fine."

Katniss wasn't so sure.

* * *

Peeta arrived at exactly 7:00 PM the following night. He was dressed nicely: slim cut jeans, a blue polo, but his baseball cap was stuffed in his back pocket.

"C'mon," he said when Katniss opened the door. "We're going to the movies."

"We are?"

"Yes, you and I are going on a normal date."

Katniss checked on Prim, who was in her room, doing her homework. Prim waved her away when she asked if Prim wanted her to stay home. With a quick goodbye to Annie, Katniss and Peeta left.

"Any chance you can take a day off this week?" he asked, pushing the down button for the elevator.

Katniss laughed. "Days off must be requested like a year in advance. I had to beg Effie to let me leave two hours early on Friday because Prim's going to homecoming. We're supposed to have a spa day."

"That sounds fun. Where are you going?"

"Our apartment," Katniss said with a smile. "We're giving each other manicures, pedicures, and facials."

They stepped onto the elevator, and Katniss was met with a sense of déjà vu. This time, however, she was relaxed, happy. Peeta was looking at her, his arm brushing against hers every few steps. This was good. This was actually a date.

"You know, if you wanted to go out to a salon or something, I could—"

"No," Katniss interrupted. "That's a nice offer, but it'll be fun to do it ourselves."

"Can I borrow you Saturday then?"

As they exited the elevator, Peeta put his hand on the small of her back. He kept it their until they reached the door of the apartment complex which he held open for her.

"What a gentleman," she said. "What'd you have in mind?"

As soon as they were outside, he pulled his baseball cap on, shoving it as low as possible to hide his eyes.

"I thought we could go down to Madison. There's some really great restaurants on the beach, and this amazing indie bookstore."

"Hmm," Katniss hummed. "That does sound nice. I haven't been to Madison in years."

"And then we'll take a walk on the beach, and it'll be chilly, and I'll offer you my jacket as we walk off into the sunset."

"Whoa, slow down. Don't reveal your whole hand too soon," she teased.

"Just thought I'd warn you," Peeta said as he opened his car door for her. "I'm irresistible. Especially on a beach. There's a music video to prove it."

"We'll see about that."

He purchased the tickets, of course.

And when he found out she hadn't eaten dinner, he insisted on buying her food from the concession stand. She picked out a giant pretzel, and he ordered a large popcorn for them to share. She might have complained more about him picking up the tab, but she felt guilty spending money on herself when she had said no to Prim just yesterday.

Sure, there was a big difference between a $250 dress and some candy, but Katniss couldn't help the guilt.

Halfway through the movie, Peeta reached over the armrest and placed his hand on the back of hers. She surprised him by flipping her hand over, and interlocking her fingers with his.

Each would pull away to take a drink of soda or grab a scoop of popcorn, but their hands always found each other again in the dark.

After it was over, Katniss went into the bathroom while Peeta waited in the lobby. She was gone maybe three minutes, but when she came out the lobby was a mob scene of crying, screaming teen girls.

Peeta's incognito look had failed.

Katniss stood, frozen, staring at the crowd. An older man noticed her stare, approached her, and said, "It's one of the kids from that band. District something? I'll be lucky if I get my daughter out of here in the next hour."

Katniss tried to catch Peeta's eye, but he was swarmed. He posed for pictures, smiling wide for their cell phones. He signed movie tickets, t-shirts, even arms. After several minutes of watching the chaos, Katniss finally headed outside to wait by the car.

It was at least thirty minutes before Peeta jogged out into the parking lot. Katniss leaned against his rental, reading a book on her Kindle app. As soon as he saw her, the doors unlocked and she got in.

Peeta jumped into the driver's seat and took off.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I thought you'd be gone. Thank you for waiting."

"I'm sorry I left. I just didn't want to…oh god, this sounds horrible but, I didn't want to be seen with you."

"No, I get it. It's better we're not seen together."

They drove in silence for a few minutes. Katniss bit her lip and looked over at him. "Is it always like that for you?"

"It's not as bad in LA. People are just a little bit more used to seeing celebrities. And I don't usually get mobbed by an entire horde. That was just really bad timing."

Katniss glanced at Peeta's knuckles, white against the steering wheel.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just…it gets overwhelming. All these girls screaming and crying over me. You'd think it'd give me a big head, but instead I just feel inadequate. Like, I could never live up to this image they have of me."

She touched his arm. "That's awful. You can't think like that."

He shrugged. "I can't help it."

"They don't see you. They see Peeta Mellark, member of District*4. You're not a person. You're an image. You can't worry about living up to those impossible standards."

He was silent for a moment. "Thanks."

They were quiet the rest of the way. He pulled into visitor's parking for her apartment building. She tried to say goodbye, but he insisted on walking her to her door. He took the elevator four floors up, held her hand, and walked her to her apartment.

"So how was that for a date?" he asked.

"Pretty good, minus the mob scene."

"I'm really sor—"

"Don't," she said. "It's not your fault. Don't worry about it. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"How do we do this if we can't be seen together?"

"We'll figure it out. I mean, if you want to?"

She considered him for a moment. She still felt awkward about what had happened Friday night, but he hadn't treated her any differently. Maybe they hadn't made a mistake by opening up to each other. After all, he was still here, wasn't he? He had trusted her with his secrets, so why couldn't she trust him?

"I want to." She pulled off his baseball cap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm just not sure we can."

"For now, we'll just take it one day at a time. Okay?"

"Okay," she whispered before leaning in.

She closed her eyes as their lips met, and thought of the darkness of the theater, the two of them side by side, hidden from the rest of the world. She thought how much she'd like to see another movie with him again.

The kiss grew heated, his tongue slipping into her mouth, her hand grabbing a fistful of his polo. He backed her into her front door, the noise enough to break the spell. They stared at each other, arms still wrapped around one another.

"Saturday?" he asked, breathless.

"Yes," she said.

"And before Saturday?"

"Any night after work."

"Perfect," he said and kissed her again.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you to the very talented loving-mellark for making me such a fantastic banner! Also, thanks so much for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos. Enjoy!Katniss knocked on Effie's open door.

* * *

"Hey, Mr. DeWitt from _Glamour_ is on the line. He's pissed you didn't show for your lunch date."

"Of course he is," Effie sniffed. "Everything is a power play with these people."

"He said he waited forty-five minutes for you."

Effie's entire face lit up. "Did he? He must really want me. Alright, tell him it was your fault and make another appointment. I'll show up fashionably late this time."

Katniss didn't even blink an eye. She was used to taking the blame for Effie's "business strategies."

"Do you want me to play the apologetic, forgetful assistant? Or do you want me to be bitchy and unforgiving?"

"The latter. We can't show weakness." Effie gave Katniss a wicked grin. "And you do bitchy so well."

"Got it."

Katniss returned to her desk and picked up the phone, taking Mr. DeWitt off hold.

"I can fit you in next Thursday at 1:30." Katniss made herself sound cold and impatient.

Her favorite part of her job was when Effie gave her permission to forgo manners and be as rude as she pleased. It was a great outlet for her stress and worry. And she was paid to do it!

"Never mind next week! I want to know why she didn't show up today," Mr. DeWitt barked.

"I'm sorry," Katniss said, her tone insincere, "but another meeting came up at the last minute."

"With who?"

"That's private."

"Are the folks from _Lucky _courting her? Because I guarantee my offer is at least double theirs."

"Sir, I have another call coming in. I'll put you down for Thursday at 1:30."

"Now, wait just a sec—"

Katniss hung up, quite pleased with herself. She typed the new appointment in Effie's Outlook calendar.

The phone rang. Katniss sighed, assuming Mr. DeWitt was calling back to yell some more. Nonetheless, she assumed the role of cheery, helpful assistant and picked up.

"You've reached Ms. Trinket's office. How many I help you?"

"Hi, this is Nurse Kendersen from Panem High School. May I please speak with Katniss Everdeen?"

"That's me. What's going on? Is Prim okay?" At least a hundred different scenarios flashed through Katniss's mind in the space between her rushed questions and the nurse's calm reply.

"This is nothing to worry about, ma'am. Prim insists she isn't feeling well and needs to go home. She doesn't have a temperature, but she is quite pale."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes."

* * *

Effie was surprisingly agreeable about letting Katniss leave early. (Effie did, however, point out that Katniss was supposed to leave early tomorrow as well. And that Katniss had contracts to look over and columns to edit. Katniss had to promise to work from home for the rest of the day. But other than that, Effie was fairly nice about it.)

Katniss found Prim lying down in the nurse's office, her normally pale skin a ghostly white, her blue eyes bloodshot. Katniss immediately recognized that her sister wasn't physically sick. Prim had been crying.

Katniss waited until they reached the car before asking what had happened.

"Nothing," Prim mumbled, buckling her seatbelt. "I just don't feel well. I'm sorry I made you leave work early."

"It's fine," Katniss said. She reached for her sister's hand, but Prim turned away, curling up against the door, her head pressed against the window.

"Sorry. I just want to go home and go to bed."

Katniss pulled out into the road, unsure how to broach whatever had happened to make Prim so upset. One would think after their mother's suicide, Katniss would be a master of discussing the hard stuff. Everything else seemed small in comparison. However, whatever had upset Prim, wouldn't seem small to her. Maybe that was the problem.

"Do you want some soup when we get home?" Katniss asked.

"No thanks."

"Some ice cream?"

"No, my stomach hurts."

Katniss tapped the steering wheel, considering her next words carefully. "When we get home, you lay down while I get some work done. But I'm going to check on you later, and we'll talk then. Okay?"

"Okay," Prim said absently.

Sure enough, as soon as they arrived home, Prim shut herself in her bedroom. A few minutes later, the sound of her muffled sobbing floated through the closed door. Katniss desperately wanted to curl up with her sister, rub her back, and whisper words of comfort as she used to when they were children. But Prim didn't seem receptive to that kind of attention, and the last thing Katniss wanted was to push too hard and make Prim clam up.

Instead, she would give Prim space. Later, she would gently ask for an explanation and attempt to calm her then.

Katniss powered up her laptop to find half a dozen emails from Effie despite only having left work an hour ago. Instead of diving right in, she pulled out her cell phone and texted Peeta, who was in New York for the day.

Katniss: _hey you_

Katniss: _tonight is not a good night to come over. something is going on with Prim, not sure what yet._

Katniss: _tomorrow is homecoming but we're definitely still on for saturday. i hope you're having fun in nyc_

In the few days that had passed since their date to the movies, Peeta had come over twice for dinner. He kept apologizing about not being able to take her out as they didn't want to be seen together, but she promised him she was more of a homebody anyway. She didn't care if their dates were nothing more than pizza and Netflix in her living room. As long as they were on the same page as to where they stood relationship wise, everything was fine. (And as for where they stood, they were in some kind of in-between: more than friends but not boyfriend and girlfriend. Yet.)

Katniss clicked open her first email from Effie, which surprisingly expressed concern for Prim before diving into business, but was interrupted by the dinging of her cell phone.

Peeta: _hey. sorry about your sister. is she ok?_

Katniss: _not sure yet...how's nyc?_

Peeta: _great! i loved something rotten. i need to take you to see it._

Katniss rolled her eyes. She had already explained to Peeta she wasn't a big fan of musicals, which he had taken as a personal insult to his career. She had tried to explain the difference between a concert and a Broadway production, but she had only made it worse. ("There's just so much singing! And the synchronized dancing…") It was now his mission to find a musical she would enjoy.

Katniss: _i don't know..._

Peeta: _Aladdin, then. everyone loves Aladdin. there is something wrong with you if you don't love Aladdin._

Katniss: _what if there is something wrong with me? you're so rude_

Peeta texted her a selfie. He wore his trademark baseball cap and sunglasses. His full lips were turned downward in an exaggerated frown. She laughed.

Katniss: _you look cute when you're sad_

Peeta: _you're so mean._ _be careful or i'll write a song about you_

Katniss: _yeah, write an upbeat pop song about your cruel girlfriend_

She typed it, sent it without thinking. As soon as it appeared on her screen, panic surged through her. A bubble with an ellipsis popped up, indicating Peeta was typing. Quickly, she sent her own message.

Katniss: _i gotta get back to work._

The ellipsis disappeared.

Katniss: _call me when you're back in ct?_

Peeta: _definitely_

Katniss breathed a sigh of relief. There was something about putting a label on their relationship that terrified her. Peeta had said they would take it one day at a time. Suddenly deciding they were boyfriend and girlfriend was giving whatever this was a future. And while she was enjoying her time with him, she still wasn't sure they had a future. To pretend otherwise was setting themselves up for heartbreak.

But then she thought about the last time he had kissed her goodnight. Tuesday evening she had insisted on walking him to his car. She joked about being his bodyguard, protecting him from crazy underage girls, but truthfully, she wanted a few more minutes with him.

As soon as the elevator door had closed, he had her pinned against the wall. They rode the elevator to the top floor down to the bottom floor, twice, kissing and giggling like teenagers, before he had finally said goodnight.

A future with him didn't seem so daunting when she was wrapped up in moments like that, carefree and electric. If they could figure it out, make it work somehow despite the distance, the disparity in income, the tabloids, the screaming fans, then, well…maybe a future with Peeta Mellark wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

A few hours later, with dinner in the oven, and Annie in the shower, Katniss knocked on Prim's door.

No answer.

She didn't want to pry, but she was getting worried, so she opened the door and slipped into Prim's bedroom.

"You awake?"

Prim shifted beneath her blanket, but said nothing. Katniss lay down beside her sister and rested her chin on Prim's shoulder. "Hey."

"Hey."

A word! Progress!

"Are you feeling any better?"

"Not really," Prim said.

Katniss had a strategy in mind. Hopefully, it would work. "You know, if you're still not feeling well, you don't have to go to school tomorrow."

"Thanks. I think I might stay home."

"That's fine. But if you stay home, you can't go to homecoming."

"Okay," Prim agreed tonelessly.

Warning bells went off in Katniss's head. Prim had been ecstatic about the homecoming dance just last night. She had glided through the living room, humming a melody, while Katniss reclined on the couch, glued to her cell phone.

"Alright, what's going on?" Katniss asked. "I know you're not sick."

"Nothing is going on. I think I have a bug or something. I'll just stay home."

Katniss wrapped an arm around Prim's middle. "You can tell me. Whatever it is."

"There isn't…" Prim's words trailed off into a sob. Tears streamed down her face, and she cried quietly into her pillow. Katniss held her for the next several minutes and whispered soothing words.

The scary part was that Prim let her. Prim, who usually would push her off and insist she was fine, and she didn't need to be babied.

Finally, the tears slowed, and Prim found her voice.

"It was a joke," she said. "The whole thing."

"What whole thing?"

"Marvel asking me to the dance."

Katniss sucked in a breath. Her chest ached with the same pain and heartbreak Prim was experiencing. But anger lurked there too, hot and itchy. Katniss had the sudden urge to find this boy and beat him within an inch of his life.

"Glimmer and Clove put him up to it. He was just going to stand me up, but Rue overheard them laughing about it today."

"I'm so sorry."

Prim shrugged. "It doesn't matter. They don't know that I know, and I really don't want to confront them. I'd rather just stay home."

Katniss suddenly sat up. "No! No way are you going to let them win!"

Prim rolled onto her back and wiped away a few stray tears. "Rue will probably say something tomorrow. She wanted to bitch slap Clove, but I talked her out of it."

"_I _want to bitch slap Clove," Katniss said. "I'll wring their skinny little necks if I ever see them near our building again."

Prim laughed. A small victory in the face of this awful prank.

"You're going to school tomorrow. And you're going to the dance."

"Please don't make me. _Please_."

"No, Prim, you can't let them beat you. If you stay home, they're going to think they have power over you and they _don't_."

Prim turned away. "I'm pretty sure they do because I feel pretty awful."

"You can stay in bed for the rest of the night. You can wallow until your heart's content. But tomorrow you are going to school and you are going to that dance, and you're going to have fun."

"That sounds terrible."

"If you go and have fun, they'll realize they can't do anything to you. What's the point of messing with someone who isn't affected? It'll get them to leave you alone."

"Easier said than done."

"Look." Katniss grabbed her sister's hand. "I know it sucks. I know it hurts. I'm not asking you to go have the best time of your life tomorrow. I'm just asking you to pretend. Go with Rue and the rest of your friends. Dance and talk shit behind their backs. I promise you laughing with your friends will be a million times better than sitting here by yourself. With me."

"You are pretty boring."

"See?" Katniss said. "It'll be awful. You'll be forced to watch whatever I want on Netflix."

Prim rolled over onto her side, her back to Katniss. "You just want me out of the apartment so you can have alone time with Peeta."

"What?" Katniss felt as if she had been slapped.

"I'm always here, and you were looking forward to hanging out with him. Don't pretend otherwise."

"Prim, Peeta and I don't have plans for hanging out tomorrow. I told him I was having a spa afternoon with you. I'm going to help get you ready for the dance and then hang out here until I have to pick you up."

"Really?"

Katniss dropped back down onto the bed. "Really! I don't understand where this is coming from. I thought you liked having Peeta come over?"

"I do. It's just…I feel like the third wheel sometimes. I thought you might be getting tired of me hanging around."

"Prim!" Katniss latched onto her sister, who struggled to get out of Katniss's embrace. "You're my sister! And you're not 'hanging around.' You live here!"

"Let me go! Too much sisterly bonding!"

Katniss just held on tighter. "You're my sister, and I love you. You are never, _ever_ in the way. Okay?"

"Can't breathe!"

"Say okay."

Prim sighed and went limp in Katniss's arms. "Okay."

"I love you, Little Duck."

"Please don't call me that. I'm hardly little anymore."

"I love you, Medium-Sized Duck."

Prim poked Katniss in the stomach. "You're awful."

Katniss sat up and ruffled Prim's hair. "Are you eating dinner with me? The pork chops are almost done."

"Is there applesauce?"

"With cinnamon," Katniss confirmed.

"Can we eat in bed?"

Katniss considered the request. Her rule was dinner at the table with no TV or cell phone, but tonight she could make an exception.

"Only if you promise to describe to me all the reasons why Glimmer and Clove are terrible people."

"I don't think we have enough time for that." Prim cracked a smile, which made Katniss feel better.

Well, a tiny bit.

* * *

It was nearly eleven by the time Annie and Prim were both in bed asleep. Katniss curled up on the pull out bed with her comforter and called Peeta on her cell.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey. Bad news. I'll be going to jail for murder soon."

"Excuse me?"

"I can't imagine seeing a girl in jail is good for your squeaky clean image. So this has to be goodbye."

"I can't figure out if you've seen the recent tabloids or if something happened with Prim."

"Tabloids? What tabloids?"

"Nothing," he answered way too quickly. "Just avoid the magazines at all the store checkouts."

Katniss burrowed deeper beneath her blanket. "So that boy that asked Prim to homecoming did it as a joke."

"_What_?"

Katniss nearly jumped from the vehemence in Peeta's voice. She wasn't used to him sounding so…angry.

"These stupid girls at school put the whole thing together. They're always picking on Prim. They're just awful."

"I'm so sorry. That's terrible." He paused. "The good news is that you now have an accomplice in your murder plan."

She let out a small laugh. "Thanks. I just feel so bad. First, I couldn't get Prim the dress she wanted. Now, this boy turned out to be a cruel prank. She was _so _excited about this dance, and now she's crushed."

"I remember her talking about it on Tuesday. She was really looking forward to it."

She sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I told her she has to go to school tomorrow, but I can't force her to go to the dance."

"Why would you want her to go?"

"To show these girls they don't have power over her! Show them how little they matter. I don't want these two girls thinking they rule Prim's life."

"Do you think she'll go?"

"I don't know. I doubt it. Even with her friends at her side, she'll still feel sad and vulnerable. It might be an ice cream and rom com night."

"Oh, count me in," he said. "I love ice cream and rom coms."

"I can't tell if you're kidding right now."

"What? Just because I'm a guy I can't enjoy romantic comedies? I'll have you know I like them very much. I find the formulaic plots and predictable endings soothing."

She snickered. "Well, as interesting as that is, you can't come over."

"Oh."

She winced at the hurt in his voice. "If Prim stays home, I need it to be a sister's night. She's going to need my full attention."

"No, I get it. You're a good sister."

"And you're a good boy—." She cut herself off. Damn it. Had she really almost done it again?

"I'm a good…boy? Like a dog?"

"Um…"

"I'll let you off the hook for that one. It's been an emotional day."

"Thanks." She stifled a yawn. "I guess I'll head to bed. Thanks for listening."

"No problem. Good luck tomorrow. Let me know how it goes."

"Thanks. Goodnight."

"Night, Katniss."

* * *

Prim ended up going to school, but she refused to go to homecoming. Spa day was cancelled.

Until Peeta texted Katniss with the very cryptic:

_Please do Prim's nails._

Katniss was just getting into her car at the end of the workday when she received the text.

Katniss: _what?_

Peeta: _get her ready for the dance. I have a surprise._

Uh oh. Katniss wasn't sure she wanted another surprise from Peeta. He seemed the type of person to go a little overboard.

Katniss: _I'm scared_

Peeta: _we'll be at your apt in forty-five minutes_

Katniss: _we? ?_

Katniss: _Peeta? ? ?_

Katniss: _? ? ? ? ? ?_

When it became clear that he wasn't going to answer, she drove home. When she entered the apartment, she found Annie bouncing up and down in the living room.

"You'll never believe what just arrived a few minutes ago. I haven't shown Prim yet. I figured you'd want to see her reaction."

Double uh-oh.

Annie ran into her room and brought out the beautiful red dress from Nordstrom—the one Prim had fallen in love with, the one Katniss couldn't afford.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Katniss demanded.

"A Nordstrom employee dropped it off."

"Since when does Nordstrom deliver?"

"Since Peeta Mellark became their customer," Annie explained.

"How did he…?"

"He texted me and asked if I remembered which dress Prim had fallen for."

"Oh my god." Katniss covered her face and groaned. "He can't do this! This is a two hundred and fifty dollar dress!"

"Kat, that's like pocket change to him. I'm pretty sure his everyday jeans cost that much."

"That's not the point. He can't—"

"He _can_. Katniss, see this for what it is: a thoughtful gift. And it's not even for you. He's trying to make Prim happy."

Katniss sighed. "I guess. But you know he asked you instead of me because he knew I'd say no."

"It's a good thing I'm around. Now go get Prim."

Katniss knocked on her sister's bedroom door.

"Go away!" Prim responded.

"I have a surprise for you…"

"I don't want a surprise! I want to wallow!"

"Prim…" Frustrated, Katniss barged into the room, Annie on her heels. "Prim, look what we have for you."

Prim rolled over onto her side in bed. Her eyes widened when she saw the dress in Annie's hands.

"Oh my god."

"See? Now you've at least got a gorgeous dress," Katniss said.

Prim jumped to her feet, still on the mattress. "Oh my god!"

"Do you want to try it on?" Katniss asked.

All at once, Prim deflated. She dropped back into bed, her body bouncing once pathetically before going still. "I'm not going to the dance," Prim said. "I mean, thank you, but I'm not going."

Katniss wasn't sure how to convince Prim. She wasn't sure she wanted to either. Who knew what kind of scheme Peeta had come up with? She doubted it would change Prim's mind.

A knock sounded at the door. A wave of excitement and dread washed over Katniss. It was a weird reaction to have when the boy she liked arrived at her apartment, but she couldn't help but be nervous.

She opened the door to find Peeta in his baseball cap and jeans. Thank goodness. For a minute, Katniss had been worried that Peeta was going to insist on taking Prim to the dance.

"I've got a surprise for Prim," he said.

"She already got it."

"She got the dress? Perfect. But now she needs a date."

"Oh no," Katniss said.

"Oh yes," Peeta mimicked. He stepped back, waved his arms with a flourish and…Finnick Odair, dressed in a green button up, thin black tie, and black dress pants stepped into view.

"I thought he was in Saint Lucia." She stared at Finnick. "You were in Saint Lucia."

"I flew up this morning. Peeta said he couldn't take her since it wouldn't be appropriate. Sisters and all that." Finnick winked.

"You…flew…up here…for my sister's homecoming dance?" Katniss tried to process the idea of leaving an exotic vacation for a high school homecoming dance, but it just didn't compute.

"Peeta told me what happened. Don't worry though. I promise no fisticuffs will occur."

She looked at Peeta. "You can't be serious."

"Where's my date?" Finnick asked. "I didn't bring a corsage. Peeta said it's not necessary for homecoming."

"It's not," Katniss said. "None of this is necessary actually."

Finnick sidestepped Katniss and disappeared into the apartment. Katniss watched him go before turning her glare toward Peeta.

"You and I are going to have to have a talk about this."

"About surprising your sister and hopefully making this a memorable night?"

Katniss jabbed a finger in his direction. "Don't."

She was only a few steps into the apartment when she heard Prim's high-pitched shriek.

"Oh my god oh my god oh my god!" Prim was finally out of bed. She had her arms around Finnick, and was quite possibly squeezing the life out of him. "You're really taking me?"

"Of course. I hope you don't mind that a bodyguard will be meeting us there. And we had to alert the school, so security might be amped up."

"Wow, you thought ahead on this," Katniss said.

"We don't want Finnick devoured by an army of tween girls," Peeta said.

"Nails!" Prim suddenly announced. "Then shower and hair."

Katniss wasn't thrilled with what was going on, although she wasn't sure why. Prim seemed ecstatic. But Katniss couldn't help but think that this is what got Prim into this mess in the first place. Clove and Glimmer had been jealous of Prim's sudden popularity caused by Peeta Mellark's appearance in her life. Would one night of fun make up for what could be followed by weeks of torment?

At the same time, she didn't want to bring Prim down any further than she already was. And Finnick had made the five-hour flight to get here. Everything was already in place (including the ridiculously expensive dress). It seemed that the only reluctant party here was her.

If this was what would make Prim happy, then Katniss would push her bad feelings aside and make it happen.

"On it," Katniss said, slipping into Big Sister Mode.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Prim emerged from her bedroom, Katniss and Annie trailing a few steps behind. She looked gorgeous in the Nordstrom dress, and the soft touch of make-up Annie had applied. Her nails were painted a pale pink, and she wore a pair of Annie's white high heels. Her blonde hair had been curled, braided, and pinned into an updo.

"You look amazing," Peeta said.

"Gorgeous," Finnick echoed.

"Okay." Katniss took a deep breath. "Have fun. No drinking. No staying out late. No groping."

"I would never—" Finnick began.

"I wasn't talking to you," Katniss said with a smirk. "Also, Prim, please don't let Finnick be mauled to death by your friends. Or enemies. Okay?"

"I can manage that," Prim said.

Finnick held out his arm. "Shall we?"

Prim's grin was so wide, it looked painful. She slipped her arm through Finnick's. "Let's go."

* * *

A few minutes later, after some small talk, Annie revealed plans to go out with friends. Katniss had a feeling the plans hadn't existed up until a few minutes ago. She hated feeling like she was running her roommate out of the apartment, but Annie insisted she had to go.

Once Annie was gone, Peeta collapsed on the couch. Katniss crawled up his body, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm very upset with you," she said. "But I've also had a long day."

Peeta inched further down so his head rested more comfortably on the throw pillow. He ran his hand up and down Katniss's back. She hummed with pleasure.

"Why are you upset?" he asked. "I thought I did a good thing."

"You did! I'm just…worried, I guess."

"About what?"

"You do too much. And you don't ask first."

"You're not a fan of surprises?"

"No. Never have been." Katniss didn't understand the concept of surprises. She liked knowing exactly what was going to happen. It made everything so much easier, which was another reason Peeta's presence in her life had her so thrown. She never in a million years could have predicted him.

"The dress. Flying in Finnick… it's too much," Katniss continued. "How will I ever pay you back?"

Peeta pressed his lips to the top of her head. She felt his words reverberate through her body as he spoke. "You don't have to. Relationships aren't about keeping score. I do something because I care about you. You do something because you care about me. There's no owing."

"Sounds like a nice concept." She tried to remember how her relationship with Cato worked. She always insisted on paying Cato back. If he bought dinner one week, she bought dinner the next. Prices were always set for gift-giving holidays. That's just the way it was with her. She hated feeling as if she was in someone's debt, that she might never pay them back.

"It _is_ a nice concept, and I promise it works as long as both people want it to."

"I just…" She sighed and sat up. "We haven't been dating long, and here you are dropping crazy amounts of money to make my sister happy."

"So what you're saying is, next time I want to fly Finnick in and buy a dress, check with you first?"

"That is approximately what I'm saying, yes."

"Come back," he said, opening his arms.

She resettled against him, her ear pressed to his chest. The sound of his heartbeat filled her head, steady and soothing.

"I hope they're having a good time," Katniss said with a yawn.

"Finnick will make sure she does," Peeta promised.

She looked up at him and pressed a kiss to his chin, his light stubble tickling her lips. She kissed a path up along his jaw, stopping just below his ear.

"Thank you," she whispered before capturing his lips with her own.

The kiss was hesitant at first, careful and explorative. His mouth lingered on hers, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. Warmth rushed from her chest to her stomach before settling between her legs. She rolled her hips, and he moaned.

The mood changed as her tongue darted out, parting his lips, and she moved her hips again. He responded by grinding against her, meeting the movement of her body.

His hands slipped beneath her blouse, caressing the smooth expanse of skin just below the clasp of her bra. She pulled away long enough to remove her top.

"Wait." He looked up at her, his blue eyes dark, mesmerizing.

"What is it?"

He flipped them over, so he now hovered over her.

"Better," he said before kissing her neck. He pulled the right cup of her bra down and traced the area around her nipple. When he replaced his finger with the wet heat of his mouth, she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out.

"Off," she mumbled when he pulled away, and she arched her chest against his. He reached around her body and unclasped her bra. Clumsily, she pushed the straps down before tearing it off.

He resumed their kiss, his mouth hungry and wanting. He caressed her thigh before pulling her leg up and over his waist. His erection pressed against her core, and she instinctively moved against him. He reciprocated with a thrust of his own. Then they were moving together, their mouths slanted against each other's, her hand wandering dangerously close to his belt.

A loud buzzing interrupted their actions.

It was followed by another prolonged buzz.

"Shit," Peeta said, pulling away.

"What is it?"

"It's my phone. I'm sorry. I thought it was off." He sat up on his knees. Katniss draped an arm over her chest, suddenly shy.

"I'll turn it off right now," Peeta said. But when he saw the screen he hesitated. Brow furrowed, he unlocked his phone and read whatever messages awaited him. "Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit."

"What is it? Is it Prim? Is everything okay?"

"It's Haymitch. And he is _pissed_."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: As always, thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

"What the fuck were you two thinking?" Haymitch demanded.

Peeta glanced over his shoulder at Katniss who sat—fully dressed—on the couch. She gave him an encouraging smile that he struggled to return.

"Everything's fine. We've got added security. It's not a big deal," Peeta said into his cell phone.

"Not a big deal? Not a big deal?!" Peeta winced as Haymitch's voice grew exponentially louder. Peeta headed down the hall and, hopefully, out of Katniss's hearing.

Haymitch continued, "Finnick is trending on twitter right now, and there's about a million photos of him dancing with an underage girl on a dozen social media sites. I had to download snapchat just to figure out what the hell it is! Are you out of your mind?"

"We already have a story figured out. Remember all those YouTube videos that got crazy popular a couple of years ago? People asking celebrities to dances and all that? We're going to pretend Prim asked Finnick at the show, and he's _such_ a sweetheart, he couldn't say no, and—"

"No. Listen. You're not getting it. First, you show up on at an ice cream shop in New Haven. Then, you're at a movie theater in Panem. Now Finnick's at a fucking high school dance. You say your girl's not looking for fame? Fine. But if you're trying to keep her a secret, you're doing a piss poor job of it."

Peeta paused as Haymitch's words sunk in. "Shit."

"Yeah, that's right. Shit. The two of you are popping up all over Connecticut, and the media wants to know why. That story they ran last week about you and Cashmere Phillips? Old news. Now they've got a mystery on their hands. It's only a matter of time before they dig up your girl."

"They can't."

"Oh, they can and they will. What were you thinking? You're supposed to be my boy next door. My very _single_ boy next door."

Peeta suddenly had a very strong urge to punch a wall. "I knew it. This isn't about protecting Katniss. You're worried she'll mess up my image. You're unbelievable."

"Hey! You may think I only see dollar signs when I look at you boys, but you're wrong."

"Yeah? Then, why the hell are you calling and freaking out if you're not just worried about hurting my fanbase?"

"Do you remember when Finnick dated that model? Cady Laughton?"

Peeta froze. "I do."

"And do you remember the insults and death threats that Finnick's fans hurtled at her? It was insane. I doubt you want your girl going through something similar."

Peeta shuddered at the memory. Cady had been verbally assaulted across all of her social media accounts. The words "whore," "bitch," and "slut" were hurtled at her from girls of all ages. Finnick had been enraged, but there was little he could do other than tweet his complaints and block any account that harassed his girlfriend.

Needless to say, his relationship with Cady was very, very short-lived.

"And just think," Haymitch continued, "Cady was already famous in her own right. She was a model, someone a guy like Finnick should be dating. But you. You've got a normal girl. Think of how they'll react." Haymitch sighed. "They _will _get crazier if that's even possible. They'll think they have a chance with you. And the threats will be worse. Not to mention the vultures that will dig up everything on Katniss, and I do mean, everything. Is she really ready for that?"

"Fuck." Peeta pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to ward off his oncoming headache. "They can't find out about her, Haymitch. Please. Do whatever you have to do."

"Look, you need to be sighted somewhere else. Somewhere far away from Connecticut."

"I still have time off."

"I'm not saying you have to come back to LA. I just mean go with Finnick somewhere warm. Somewhere tropical. Let the paps get a few pictures of you on the beach, _alone_. Then, come back. Lay low. Continue courting her or hooking up or whatever the hell it is you kids do nowadays."

"We go steady, Haymitch. I already gave her my pin. Come on."

Haymitch ignored his comment. "Do we have a plan?"

"Yes. But I'm not leaving until tomorrow night."

"Alright, fine, geez. I know it's such a burden to be ordered to go to the fucking beach."

"You promise to work your magic?"

"That's why you pay me. Now try not to make any more idiotic decisions between now and tomorrow."

"I'll do my best."

Peeta powered off his cell phone before Haymitch got a second wind and decided to yell some more. Shoving his phone into his pocket, he walked back out into the living room. Katniss sprang to her feet as soon as she saw him.

"What'd he say?" she asked.

"Basically, that Finnick and I are idiots." Katniss frowned at this accusation. Peeta continued, "And upon closer inspection of our actions, I, very unfortunately, have to agree."

"What do you mean?"

"How am I supposed to keep us a secret when I keep getting photographed in Connecticut? Or I send Finnick to a school dance with your sister?"

"Crap."

"Yeah. Crap."

Katniss crossed her arms at her chest and looked away. "Is that way Haymitch is so upset? Does he think I planned this?"

"No! Absolutely not. He's worried about you, actually."

Katniss scoffed.

"I didn't believe it at first either," Peeta began, "but I really do think he wants to protect you. Which is why I have to leave."

Katniss took a step backwards. "Leave? I—I thought you were here for a little while longer."

"I'll come back. It'll just be for a few days. I promise."

"I'm not sure—"

He cut her off. "Don't. Please. Whatever it is you're about to say, don't."

"Peeta…"

"We knew this would be hard, but we agreed to try, right?"

Katniss sighed. "Right."

"We can't consider giving up every time it gets difficult."

Katniss nodded but said nothing. An old, familiar feeling crept over her. It was a mix of exhaustion and sadness. She couldn't determine if the cause was Peeta's impending absence or the murkiness of their future.

Either way it was unsettling. Peeta shouldn't have been able to cause a feeling like that at all.

"Hey, weren't we in the middle of something?"

She glanced up at him, a blush heating her cheeks. "I never thought I'd say this, but thank god for Haymitch."

"I'm sorry. What was that?"

"What happened just now…it was too much. Too fast. We just started dating."

"It's okay. I get it. We can just watch TV."

He sat down in the middle of the couch, but instead of settling in beside him, she climbed onto his lap. "I said we had to go slow," she said. "Not go backwards."

"Slow," he echoed. "I like slow."

She kissed him softly, her arms wrapped around his neck, but she broke the kiss seconds later.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I know we said we'd take this one day at a time, but I can't help but think about what's going to happen next."

"Well, in the immediate future, we'll be making out."

She scowled at him, and he laughed.

"Tomorrow, we'll go on a super secret date in Madison where I will not be photographed."

"Okay."

"I'll disappear for a few days, and have absolutely no fun because I'll be thinking about you every second."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure."

"And then I'll come back. And we'll keep hanging out. See each other whenever we want."

"I like that part," she said, resting her forehead against his. "But what happens after that?"

"You're so curious," he said. "Gotta know everything."

"I guess I just need to know if there's a point to all this." He winced at her words, and she mumbled an apology. "Sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

"Are you happy?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Do you look forward to seeing me?"

She looked him in the eyes as she said, "Yes."

"Then that's the point."

She kissed him again, her mood lighter, more playful. "You're pretty smart for a member of a boy band," she said.

"You're pretty snarky for a gorgeous, amazing woman."

"Were you trying to insult me there or…?"

"C'mere," he said, tugging her forward. "No more talking."

And he kissed her until she forgot there was a future to worry about, that there was a day after this one, a moment where his lips wouldn't be on hers.

* * *

Later that night, after Finnick and Peeta had both left, Katniss and Annie sat with Prim in Prim's bedroom and listened to every last detail about the homecoming dance.

"He is the most perfect human being alive," Prim gushed. "He danced whenever I asked. He brought me punch. He was never gone for more than a few minutes when someone asked for his autograph. But the best part was…"

Prim grinned and kicked her legs, on the verge of a total fangirl meltdown.

"When Glimmer and Clove asked for a picture with him, he said he couldn't because he was too busy dancing with me!"

Prim sighed and fell back against her pillows.

"I'm going to marry him," she said.

"Prim, he's nine years older than you," Katniss said.

"Age is just a number."

"Oh my god," Annie snorted between bursts of laughter. "I think someone is in love."

"Well, be in love from afar. He's too old," Katniss said.

"Do you think he'll stick around? With Peeta?" Prim asked.

"Actually, Peeta's flying out tomorrow night."

"What?" Prim shot up. "Where?"

Katniss shrugged.

"Your boyfriend is leaving, and you don't know where he's going?"

"Prim, he is not my boyfriend. We're just…hanging out."

Annie sighed. "You're both delusional."

"Hey!" Katniss and Prim yelled simultaneously.

"Prim, Finnick is a nice guy, but he's too old for you. It's never going to happen." She turned toward her other roommate. "Kat, Peeta's your boyfriend. Sorry, but he is. I don't know why you're scowling. I can think of worse things than dating Peeta Mellark."

"We're not…it's just…" Katniss huffed. "It's just easier to pretend he's not. Okay? Trust me."

"When's he coming back?" Annie asked.

"Not sure. He said it'd only be a few days."

"What are you going to do in the mean time?"

"Oh you know, dissolve into a puddle of tears and be entirely useless." Katniss rolled her eyes. "I had a life before I met Peeta Mellark. I'm sure I still have it lying around here somewhere."

Prim giggled. "Yeah, it's called wine, Netflix, and work."

"That's right. I've been wanting to spend more time with my baby sister!" Katniss wrapped an arm around Prim's shoulder and pulled her into a tight hug. "We should go shopping and to the movies. Maybe we can invite some of your friends? It'll be great!"

"I take it back!" Prim yelled. "You have a very full and rewarding life!"

"What's that?" Katniss called. "I can't hear you over all this sisterly love!"

She shoved Prim back down onto the mattress and began to tickle her. Prim, in between bursts of laughter and gasps of breath, begged her to stop. Finally, Annie jumped on Katniss, and the trio ended up in a tangle of limbs.

"Truce?" Prim asked.

"Truce," Katniss agreed.

"You're both crazy," Annie said with a laugh.

* * *

The next morning, Katniss opened her front door to find Peeta dressed in his usual disguise, holding a small wrapped gift.

"You're kidding," Katniss said.

"I never joke about gifts," Peeta said. "Gift giving is a serious business."

"Peeta, you can't do this the day after you spent a ton of money on me."

"Um, one, I did not spend a 'ton' of money. And two, I spent it on Prim, not you."

"As my sister, Prim is an extension of me, so it counts. Please hide the gift and return it at your earliest convenience."

Peeta shoved it into her hands. "We need it for today. Open it."

Katniss sighed and stalked into the kitchen. Peeta followed.

"Hi Annie, hi Prim," Peeta said.

Annie returned his greeting, but Prim stared at him for a moment. "I think I'm finally getting used to you," she said.

"Yeah?" Peeta asked.

She placed her hand over her heart and waited. "No, never mind, my heart is still beating way too fast. Your poster is staying on my wall."

"You have a poster of me on your wall?" Peeta asked.

"You have a poster of him on your wall?" Katniss echoed.

"Duh," she said. "He's in my favorite band. It'd be weird if I didn't."

"No, it's weird now," Katniss said.

"You're right, Kat, I'm sorry," Prim said. "I'll take it down and put it over the couch."

"Just ignore her," Katniss said as she grabbed her purse.

"Wait," Peeta said, holding out the gift. "Open it. We really do need it for today."

Katniss sighed and hitched her purse up higher on her shoulder. "Fine. Hand it over."

She carefully unwrapped the gift. It was a glasses case. She popped it open and found a pair of sunglasses that were black on the outside and Tiffany Blue on the inside.

Wait.

Shit.

Katniss stared at the logo emblazoned on the side of the sunglasses: Tiffany and Co.

"You're kidding."

"Nope, you and I are going incognito today." He took the glasses from her and slipped them on her face. He pulled a baseball cap out of his back pocket and placed it on her head.

"Yup, you're unrecognizable."

"Peeta!" She slipped off the sunglasses and held them as far as possible from her body. "You bought me Tiffany sunglasses? Are you crazy? I can't be trusted with the $10 pairs from Target."

"Katniss…"

"No, this is way too much! She carefully placed the glasses back in their case, and shoved it into Peeta's empty hands. "I can't accept this."

"But—"

"No," she said. "Now let's go before I change my mind."

She muttered a goodbye to her roommate and sister and left. As she stormed down the hallway toward the elevator, she passed Finnick Odair coming from the opposite direction. She would have said something, shown some kind of shock or surprise, but honestly, nothing surprised her anymore. So she nodded a greeting, pressed the elevator button, and waited for Peeta to catch up.

* * *

The day was unseasonably warm, so they headed to the beach first. Katniss insisted on paying the parking fee, and after noticing the fierce look in her eyes, Peeta didn't argue.

They removed their shoes and rolled up their jeans before stepping into the warm sand. Peeta offered his hand, and she took it as they walked along the nearly deserted beach.

"I haven't been here in years," Katniss said.

"How come?"

"We used to come a lot as a family during the summer. There are a lot of good memories here, but after my dad died, the idea of coming here felt too painful."

"Shit. I'm sorry. Maybe this wasn't a good idea."

"No! This was a great idea, actually." She squeezed his hand. "Remembering is always going to be a little painful. Doesn't mean I shouldn't do it."

"Tell me a good memory."

"Hmm." Most days at the beach blurred together. She had been too young to realize that the quiet moments, the mundane moments, were the ones she should hold onto. She'd give anything for one more boring afternoon on the beach with her family.

"We camped here a couple of times," she finally said. "The beach technically closes at sunset, but one time my dad and I took a walk in the middle of the night. Just me and him. It was so exciting being on the beach in the dark. Everything was transformed."

Instead of looking scary in the dark, everything had looked mystical and mysterious. Her father had made up a story about creatures that visited the beach only at night, little monsters that bathed in the black water.

"That sounds amazing," Peeta said.

"The best part was that I found this beautiful white seashell. It was perfect. My dad turned it into a necklace, and we gave it to my mother for her birthday." Her mother had worn it nearly every day until her father died. After that, it had disappeared. Katniss had never found it.

"Your dad sounds like he was a really great guy."

"He was," she said softly. "My mom loved him so much. We all did. After he died, he left this big empty space that we were never able to fill."

"I'm sorry."

An uneasy silence followed, so Katniss asked the first question that popped into her head. "What's your dad like?"

She immediately regretted it. His father couldn't be that good of a person if he allowed his wife to hurt his son.

For a moment, the only sounds were the crash of the waves, the call of the seagulls. Finally, Peeta said, "He's okay. I don't see him much."

She didn't press him for details despite wanting to know more. If he didn't see his father often, or his mother and brother at all, then who did he have? Who did he spend the holidays with? It wasn't just the idea of Peeta all alone that made her chest hurt. It was imagining him feeling that deep, hollow ache that she was all too familiar with. Sometimes it felt like a burning in her lungs as if she had been underwater, holding her breath for much too long.

It felt like drowning.

They walked quietly for a few minutes, until Peeta noticed Katniss alternating between squinting and staring down at her feet.

"Sun too bright?" he asked.

She startled at his voice, the playfulness in his tone. It took her a second to process what he had said. Any residual sadness from discussing their parents quickly turned to irritation.

"Don't you dare," she said.

"I did bring the pair I bought if you need them…"

"Absolutely not!" She stopped suddenly and turned to look at him. "I don't understand you."

"What do you mean?"

"How did you think buying me a pair of five hundred dollar sunglasses was okay?"

"They were only three hundred and fifty," Peeta said as if he thought the purchase was quite practical. "So I really don't see—okay, okay." He relented when he saw Katniss's glare. "I wanted to bring you something back from New York, and when I was walking down Fifth Avenue, I saw the store and sort of just wandered in."

"You wandered in."

"I thought you'd think it was funny. Because we're both wearing disguises?"

"Peeta, you can't get me gifts like that. Okay?"

"But why?" he asked, exasperated. "It made me happy buying it for you. I thought you'd be happy too."

"It makes me uncomfortable. Do you know how many hours I'd have to work to afford a pair of Tiffany sunglasses?"

"Well, you didn't have to work to get them. _I_ got them. _I_ spent the money."

"You're missing the point. They're…impractical. They're sunglasses. Why would anyone spend so much money on something like that?"

"Hey, that's not fair." His tone had changed from playful to pleading to pissed off. "You just called my entire lifestyle impractical. Why should I feel guilty for buying an expensive gift when I can afford it?"

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty! Or impractical! I just…" She sighed and tugged at her braid. "It makes _me_ feel guilty. And silly. How can I wear three hundred and fifty dollar sunglasses when some months I barely make the rent?"

He was quiet for a moment. "I didn't know you had trouble with your rent."

"Well, you don't know everything." Katniss spun around and started walking away.

"Hey, wait." Peeta jogged a few steps to catch up with her. "Shouldn't this be a good thing? Me getting you something nice? If you can't afford it yourself…"

"It makes me feel inadequate!" Katniss burst out. "Like I'm someone who needs fixing or taking care of. It just reminds me that you shouldn't even be with me."

"Whoa, whoa." He grabbed her arm. "I don't understand how we got here. Catch me up."

"This isn't going to end well," she said. "I know it won't. It can't."

"What happened to taking it one day at a time?"

"We're so different. Every time I forget, there's something else to remind me."

Peeta wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. The waves crashed near them, the ocean water climbing up the beach but not quite reaching their feet.

"I'm not wasting my time with you," he said. "If you think that just because I have money and you don't…"

"This is about who you are."

"I don't get why people think I'm this super special person. Like I'm somehow _more_ just because a lot of people know my name."

"A lot of people? Try the entire country."

"But I'm just me. Why can't that be enough?"

She studied his pained expression, her brow knit with confusion. "Enough? How are you not enough? You're…" She caught herself before she could tell him he was everything. The word seemed much too big.

It had been a long time since she had allowed her happiness to become entangled with someone else's, but here she was, her heart like a hummingbird beating its wings against her rib cage. She couldn't help the worrying and wondering and hoping.

She wanted to reclaim some distance and wedge it between them, but it felt too late, somehow, like she had let him in completely without realizing it.

"If I was just Peeta Mellark, a guy from down the street, a guy without money, would you still like me?"

"Of course," Katniss said immediately. "How could you think otherwise? I like you because you're funny and thoughtful and sweet. Not because you're famous."

"Why can't I like you for the same reasons without you getting suspicious? My career shouldn't dictate who I should and shouldn't date."

Guilt stilled her hummingbird heart as she remembered Peeta's confession from the other day at the movie theater. The girls that had swarmed him made him feel inadequate, and here she was doing the same thing.

Katniss sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just hard for me. For most of my life, money has been a huge issue. Now so more than ever. I'm…I'm stuck. I make just enough to pay the bills and put a little aside for Prim's college education. But that's it. I don't have a lot of extra money lying around for sunglasses or concert tickets or a new place."

"You want a new place?"

She shrugged. "I want a bedroom. A closet. I want to fall asleep at night without worrying about the next bill I have to pay. It's hard but…it's my life."

"It sounds stressful."

"Life is stressful, money or not."

He kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel guilty or uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you need to be something more than you are just because of your career."

Peeta smiled at her. "That felt very mature and grown-up, didn't it?"

She rolled her eyes. "Come on." She tugged on his hand. "Let's get back to our romantic beach date. You have yet to sweep me off my feet."

"Be careful. I'm about to dial the smolder level up to an eleven."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Alright, then. Work your magic." She folded her arms across her chest and stared at him. "I'm waiting."

He hesitated for only a second before scooping her up and throwing her over his shoulder. He ran a few steps and spun her around before setting her back down in the sand.

"How was that for sweeping you off your feet?" he asked.

"Well, I'm certainly dizzy."

"With desire?"

She laughed. "Something like that."

She kissed him then, the ocean air in her hair, the taste of the sea on his lips.

* * *

After the beach, they drove to R. J. Julia and wandered through the bookstore for nearly an hour. Katniss picked out a book for herself and a book for Prim and let Peeta pay.

"This is much more reasonable than Tiffany sunglasses," she said.

"Whatever makes you happy, nerd."

Afterward, they went to the bookstore's café bistro and sat outside to enjoy a late lunch. The afternoon disappeared quickly with easy conversation and a bottle of wine Peeta had picked up beforehand.

"You've made me fancy," he said.

"Cheap wine isn't fancy. It's just practical," Katniss teased.

Eventually the light faded, dinner customers replaced the lunch crowd, and Peeta had a plane to catch.

Peeta held her hand for the entire drive home.

Once he reached her apartment building, he offered to walk her upstairs but she turned him down.

"I think we should say goodbye here," she said, her throat tight. It all seemed so silly. He would only be gone for a few days. He promised he'd be back to spend the remainder of his vacation in Connecticut.

But why would he come back? He was flying to Saint Lucia with Finnick. He'd be in the Caribbean, on the beach, surrounded by pretty girls who would accept his gifts without complaint.

It wasn't that she didn't believe him. He said he liked her, and he had shown time and again that he did. It was that she didn't understand _why_. Why return to Connecticut when he could remain in a tropical paradise? Why settle for her when he could have an uncomplicated relationship with a supermodel?

It just didn't make sense.

And she worried that once he was far away, he'd realize it too.

"I'm going to text you every ten minutes. That doesn't make me clingy, right?" he asked.

She laughed. "Make it every twenty minutes," she said. "You don't want to look too desperate."

"I wish you could come with me."

"I think that'd defeat the whole purpose."

He stared down at his lap, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. "I just want to remind you that you can't believe anything the tabloids print. And you can ask me anything. Okay?"

"I know."

"Really, Katniss." He took her hands. "They printed a story last week about me and Cashmere Phillips."

"The country singer?"

He sighed. "Yeah. They ran a picture from a few months ago. Some pap snapped a photo just as she was leaning into me to tell me something. It looks…intimate. But it's a context thing. The media doesn't care about that."

"I know," she said again.

"It can be weird and difficult, but I want you to know that I won't lie to you. Not again. I promise."

"Did you and Cashmere date?"

He chuckled. "No. The picture is from an after party for some awards show. I can't even remember which one. We're barely friends."

"Okay," Katniss said. "Then there's nothing to worry about."

Peeta appeared unconvinced, but he nodded anyway. "I'll see you soon."

She forced a smile and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her gut. This wasn't an ending, she reminded herself. Just a small interruption.

But she couldn't help thinking about the next time he would leave. He couldn't stay in Connecticut forever. Eventually, he'd have to return to LA, to his career, to his real life. And what then? Would they really attempt a long distance relationship? Or would this become a memory he could look back on fondly, a brief interlude where he had pretended to be a normal guy?

"Don't overthink things while I'm gone," he said as if he could read her mind.

"Me? Overthink things?" she asked. "I would never."

He leaned forward to kiss her, but her mind had already wandered weeks into the future, so when she kissed him back, she wasn't really there.

Before she knew it, she was back inside her building, her fingers brushing her lips as she watched him drive away.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Come find me on tumblr: andthisisthewonder.

* * *

Haymitch recommended that Peeta stay away for ten days. He lasted six.

Although, to be fair, he spent the seventh night at a hotel in New York City after flying into JFK from Saint Lucia. So really, he was pretty close to the ten day mark.

When Katniss opened her apartment door to find him rocking back and forth on his heels, a smile tugging at his lips, she leaned against the door and said, "Oh, hey."

"Oh, hey?" he echoed. "I'm not supposed to be back for another three days, and your response to my surprise is 'oh, hey'?"

She stepped out of the way, giving him room to enter the apartment. She shut the door and leaned back against it.

"Sorry, but your arrival in New York made Oh No They Didn't."

"Is that a real website?" he asked.

"Yes, and Prim checks it every freaking day. She kept me updated on every move you made while you were gone despite me begging her not to."

Every afternoon after school, Prim would read her favorite gossip blogs and share everything she learned. Katniss had asked her not to repeatedly, had even walked around the apartment with her hands clamped over her ears like a five-year-old, but Prim was relentless.

She even showed Katniss pictures from the beach.

The funny part was, at least half of the pictures featured Peeta sitting on a lounge chair, staring at his cell phone.

"Did she?" he asked with a grin. "And what was I up to?"

"You had a secret rendezvous with Cashmere Phillips in Saint Lucia. Also, the two of you are considering buying a home together in Connecticut."

"Really? That's amazing!" Peeta said. At Katniss's puzzled look, he continued, "They made up a story about me being in Connecticut that doesn't involve you. Haymitch's advice worked." He grimaced. "Does this mean I have to start listening to him from now on?"

"Nah. I'd consider this random luck."

"So, where's Annie and Prim?"

"They said they're going to the movies, but who knows. I think they just wanted to give us some privacy."

"So we're alone?"

She nodded.

Immediately, his lips were crushed against hers, his arms wrapped around her waist. She would never admit this out loud, but as soon as he kissed her, she felt whole again. The entire week he'd been gone, she had felt some important piece missing, some disconnect that kept her at arm's' length from the world around her.

At first, she thought she was getting sick, or the stress was finally getting to her. Effie had been a giant pain in the ass since she had skipped that interview with _Glamour_.

But every time Katniss received a text that wasn't from Peeta, that hole where the missing piece should have been ached. It was strange, like phantom pain, the ache from a limb she kept forgetting had been cut off.

It terrified her.

All she wanted to do was run away from him. She couldn't take this connection, this longing, this _dependency_ she had formed.

But all she could do was kiss him back, pull him closer. All she could do was stay.

* * *

With only one week of vacation left, Peeta came over every night after work. Annie insisted on leaving the two of them alone, even when Prim stayed behind. It was strange since Annie had only a handful of friends outside of Katniss and preferred hanging out at home, but Katniss appreciated her friend's effort. She was going to have to make it up to Annie big time once Peeta returned to California.

Monday night, they ordered pizza and drained a bottle of wine, and watched some ridiculous Disney Channel movie that Prim insisted on putting on. Peeta didn't complain. He actually laughed a few times, which Katniss blamed on the alcohol.

Tuesday, Prim went to the library to study with Rue. Peeta cooked meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables, but it grew cold on the kitchen table as he and Katniss made out on the couch.

Wednesday, they finally ate their meatloaf dinner, reheated in the microwave.

Thursday and Friday vanished in a blink of an eye, with dinner, laughter, and another bottle of wine. When Katniss thought of the following week, of empty evenings after work, she panicked. She hadn't been kidding when she said she had a life before Peeta Mellark. She could manage without him.

But she wasn't sure she wanted to.

Work was excruciating, and often the only thing that got her through the day was the thought that Peeta would be home waiting for her, with takeout or a home cooked meal.

He kept her company in the kitchen as she did the dishes.

He massaged her shoulders and asked her questions about work.

They took turns picking movies to watch and teased the other on their poor taste.

At some point, without realizing it, Peeta had sort of become her boyfriend. They had created this warm, happy domestic life - something Katniss had been certain she had never wanted. It was all so...normal.

But now she couldn't imagine her life another way. They had yet to discuss what would happened when he returned to LA, but she knew the answer. There was only one option.

Saturday morning, Peeta's last full day in CT, a phone call woke Katniss up.

"Mm, hello?" she said into her cell phone. The phone rang again, and she realized she hadn't pressed the correct button on the touch screen. "Hello?" she tried again.

"Katniss? Hey."

"Peeta? What time is it?"

"Quarter after six."

Katniss sat up. Peeta was supposed to show up at nine, and take her on a scenic drive to Kent. He had promised warm spiced apple cider, another indie bookstore, and art installations that straddled the line between weird and pretentious. They were supposed to end up on a hike and have a private picnic, and, and - she knew, suddenly, that it wasn't going to happen.

"Do you have to fly back early?" she asked.

"No, nothing like that. But…" He sighed. "Haymitch booked me on the Ryan Seacrest show. There was a last minute cancellation, and I'm plugging the hole. I'm waiting for the train to arrive now."

"So you'll be back this afternoon?"

"Haymitch set up some meetings for me, including another interview with a different radio station."

Her sleepiness disappeared as disappointment took its place. Was last night really their final goodbye? Would they really never have that conversation? Even though she knew it could only end one way, she needed closure, or she'd never get past this.

"You're going to be in the city all day?" she asked, trying to keep the hurt from her voice. This wasn't his fault. This was his _job_.

"Yeah, but I'll be back tonight. I actually have a plan for the two of us."

"Yeah?" Hope sparked within her, but it flickered briefly before burning out. What did it matter if they saw each other one more time? What did it matter if she managed to get closure? Closure was an imaginary thing, an adult construct designed to make people pretend that their hurt no longer existed.

Last night, tonight, it didn't matter. It'd be over soon.

"Ever since I saw you in that green dress, I've been thinking of how I could get you to wear it again."

"You could ask," she said, a hint of laughter in her voice.

"That's a gorgeous dress. I need somewhere fitting to take you."

"I thought we couldn't do anything too public?"

"We can't. But don't worry. I've taken care of everything."

"The last time you took care of everything, my baby sister attended a dance in a dress I couldn't afford with a man eight years her senior."

"And she had a blast, didn't she?"

This time, she laughed. "Are you sure about tonight?"

"Positive. Can you meet me at The Black Pearl at seven?"

This was what she had wanted in the beginning. A nice dinner with the man she was interested in. She was excited, but at the same time, she'd be happy to stay hidden in her apartment for the rest of her life if it meant she could keep him.

"Yes," she said. "I can't wait."

* * *

While Katniss didn't have a Sirius XM subscription, Rue's family did, so Rue came over so she and Prim could listen to Peeta's interview on her cell phone app.

Katniss had no intention of listening in as she would see him that night, but Rue and Prim followed her into the kitchen, where they sat at the table while she cooked breakfast.

The first half of the interview flew by with easy banter and vague descriptions of District*4's next album. It was the second half that seized Katniss's attention and burned the scrambled eggs.

"So there's been a lot of rumors floating around about you and Cashmere Phillips," Ryan Seacrest said.

"So I've heard," Peeta replied.

Prim and Rue shared a look before glancing at Katniss. She was still facing the oven, but she was staring straight ahead at the cabinet above the stove.

"Any truth to them?"

"I can neither confirm or deny those rumors," Peeta said with a laugh.

"Alright, I understand your hesitation. Blink once to confirm, twice to deny."

There was a brief pause followed by laughter.

"Sorry, folks, he's just staring straight ahead without blinking. Oh, and now I'm getting lost in those blue eyes…"

More laughter followed. Katniss dumped the charred eggs and started over.

Rue and Prim didn't say a word.

* * *

The Black Pearl was located directly on the water in New Haven. Katniss had never been there, but she had checked their menu online. The prices hadn't been listed, which was never a good sign, but she had already decided that money wasn't a problem tonight. She just wanted to enjoy her last night with Peeta.

The parking lot was strangely empty when she pulled in. There were only three other cars. When she reached the front door, she found a Closed sign hanging in the window.

With a frown, she took a step back and looked up at the restaurant. The lights were on, but no one was there. Maybe they were under renovation? Maybe Peeta had meant a different Black Pearl? She was about to pull out her cell phone and text him when the door opened in front of her.

"Ah, you must be Miss Everdeen! Come in, come in," a young redheaded woman said, beckoning her inside.

Katniss hesitated briefly before entering the restaurant.

"Don't worry. Mr. Mellark will be joining us shortly. He didn't want you two arriving at the same time."

"Right," Katniss said. "Um, what's going on?"

"Come on this way," the woman said, grabbing two thick leather menus.

Katniss followed her. The back of the restaurant was completely open, giving way to a wraparound porch that sat on the water. The young woman pulled a chair out at a table for two.

"For you," she said.

Katniss took a seat, jumping slightly when the woman pushed her in.

"Can I grab you something to drink?"

"Just a water for now, thank you," Katniss replied.

As soon as the woman disappeared, Katniss looked around. There was a bar a few feet away up the stairs that led back into the restaurant, although there was no bartender. There were half a dozen tables on the deck, set with silverware but no diners to use them. She looked out at the black water and listened to the waves lapping gently against the deck's support beams.

A moment later, the redhead returned, a glass of water in hand, and Peeta in tow.

"God, you look amazing," he said by way of greeting. She stood up to hug him, and he surprised her with a kiss on the lips.

"Is this - are you - " she stuttered out, looking over at the server.

The server simply smiled, set down Katniss's water, and disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Everyone here - which is just the server, the cook, and the manager - have signed non-disclosure agreements," Peeta explained as they took their seats. "If anyone takes a picture or shares our relationship with the media, not only do I get to take them to court, but I'm pretty sure the ownership of the restaurant automatically transfers to me."

"Wow," she said. "Your own restaurant?"

"Trust me, that's not the outcome I'm planning on. Haymitch had a lawyer draw up the agreement."

"So you rented this entire place for us?" she asked.

"I wanted to take you out on a fancy dinner date, and I couldn't think of another way to do it." He studied her from across the table. "Are you mad?"

She thought about it for a second. She was surprised, excited, and a little confused, but no, she wasn't mad. Maybe that made her a hypocrite, especially when she considered how much this must have cost him. Tiffany sunglasses paled in comparison. But at the same time, the gesture made her feel special, cared for.

Loved.

She quickly shook the thought from her mind and smiled at him. "No, I'm not mad. I'm many things right now, but mad is not one of them."

"Good. I'm glad." He opened the menu. "Oh, they have a cheese and charcuterie board," he said. "Perfect appetizer."

Katniss tried to fight the blush that was creeping up her neck. "I have no idea what that is."

"Trust me, you'll love it."

Katniss studied the menu for another moment, but she couldn't stop the words bubbling up her throat. They were going to spill out with more anger than she intended if she didn't say them soon.

"I listened to your interview this morning."

"Yeah?" Peeta grinned. Was it her imagination, or did he look pleased that she had tuned in? "How'd I sound? I feel like I always sound weird on the radio."

"You sounded like yourself, but…"

"But what?"

"Those rumors about Cashmere. You didn't deny them."

Realization dawned across his face. "I forgot about that. You already knew about them though. You were joking around with me when I first got home."

"Yeah, but that was when other people were saying it. Not you."

"But I didn't say anything."

"You did though. You made it sound like you were together. Like you were keeping it a secret."

"I never respond to rumors. I never confirm or deny. And if I sounded, I don't know, coy this morning, it was because I'd rather have everyone believe I'm seeing Cashmere secretly then find out about you."

Katniss nodded. She knew, deep down, that he had been trying to protect her, but it still stung that the guy she...cared so much for had insinuated he had a relationship with another woman.

"Hey," Peeta said. He reached across the table and laid his hand over hers. "I'll deny it if I get asked again. If that's what you want."

She knew if she wanted to truly get angry, this was the moment. She could lash out, accuse him of not caring, but she knew it'd be childish. He hadn't done anything wrong. She was just trying to wedge some distance between the two of them before he left. But why ruin their last night together with an inane fight?

"No, don't change your interviewing philosophy because of me. I guess I'm just…" She trailed off with a shrug.

"Jealous?" he asked.

"Absolutely not."

He smiled at her over her menu, and she relaxed.

After they placed their order, the only sound was the water and the flickering flames of the portable fireplace that kept them warm.

It was a comfortable silence, warm and happy. It was the kind of silence Katniss could curl up in, spend her whole Sunday afternoon listening to. All of her frustration over his interview that morning was gone.

"I'm bummed we didn't get to spend the day together," she finally said. "But this is really nice."

"Thanks. Haymitch actually put this all together."

Katniss made a face and Peeta rolled his eyes.

"I think he wanted to make up for the interview in New York," Peeta explained. "He did a good job though."

She shrugged. "I changed my mind. This night is somewhat adequate."

He laughed. "I'm really going to miss you, you know."

Oh no. Here it was. The conversation she had been anticipating and dreading. "I'm going to miss you too."

Peeta opened his mouth to continue, but the server appeared then with their appetizer. She set down a wooden board covered with different meats and cheeses along with small hunks of bread.

"Oh my god," Katniss said, surveying the miniature feast in front of her. "This looks delicious."

"I thought you'd like it."

She took a piece of bread, placed small pieces of meat and cheese on it and took a bite. She hummed her approval.

"Try dipping it in honey," he suggested.

She dipped the second half of her mini sandwich into the cup of honey in the middle of the board. She held out her hand to catch any stray strands before popping it into her mouth.

"You're a genius," she said.

"I try."

Too soon, the board was empty and Katniss was nearly full. She had no idea how she was going to eat her entree.

"We could have just feasted on that," she said.

"Probably." He smiled, but she could see the tension in it, the way he had to force it. "Katniss, I don't want to break up."

She looked down at her empty plate. His words were an errant wave, carrying the good feelings away.

"We said we'd take it one day at a time," she said. "And today's the last day."

"But why does it have to be?"

"You know why," she said.

"Because I'll be in LA?"

"That's three thousand miles."

"So what? I can make the trip. Whenever we want to see each other, I can be here."

He sounded so earnest. She imagined he could make the trip quite easily. Whip out a credit card to book a flight, or even rent a private jet. But distance wasn't the only obstacle. "But what about your new album? Your bandmates? Your interviews and shows and the next tour? You lead a busy life."

"So do you," he said.

"Ten hour work days and nights in front of the television isn't exactly the same thing."

"You keep pointing out all the problems, all the differences we have. What about our similarities?"

"Like what?"

"Like I don't want to stop seeing you. Don't you feel the same way?"

"I…" She trailed off, suddenly afraid to admit it out loud.

"Katniss, I love you."

She stared at him, lips parted, a feeling she didn't recognize swirling through her. "You don't - you can't."

"Don't tell me how I feel," he said with a surprising amount of force. "I know that I think about you all the time. I miss you whenever we're apart. I know I'd rather give up my career than lose you."

She stood up, her chair scraping against the deck. She opened her mouth and then abruptly closed it and walked over to the railing overlooking the water. There were no words, nothing adequate anyway to express what she felt.

His declaration was too much, too big, and too soon.

Love was a trap. Love was misery waiting to happen. A relationship always ended one way or another, and pain was the only result.

"Katniss." His breath was warm on her cheek. She shivered now that she was no longer near the fireplace. He wrapped an arm around her.

"I can't," she said.

He pressed a kiss to her temple. He lingered there, his nose in her hair, as he rubbed small circles on her back.

She looked up at him. "It won't work. Why drag it out? It's just going to hurt more later."

He kissed her then because it was the only answer he had. She clung to him as if he was the only thing keeping her from falling, crashing into the water below them.

When he pulled away, she stared up at him, her throat tight, and said, "I've never been in love before."

"No?"

"I'm not sure I know what it feels like."

"You'll know it when you feel it," he said.

He rested his forehead against hers, and she thought of every good thing that had happened between them over the last month.

She took a deep breath and thought, why not? It already hurt. Keeping it in might be more painful than saying it.

"I think I might love you too," she whispered.

He stared at her, a little awestruck at her confession. This time, she kissed him, her hand snaking up his back, feeling the warmth of his skin through his shirt.

Someone cleared their throat behind him. The server stood in front of the table, their plates balanced on a tray.

"Can we take those to go?" Peeta asked.

* * *

She remembered wanting to go slow, of insisting on it. She remembered longing to run away as far and as fast as she possibly could.

The memories turned to dust as Peeta pressed her against his hotel room door, his tongue exploring her mouth, his hand up her dress.

Nothing was settled between them. The future was still murky, a giant question mark that neither one could begin to answer.

But in that moment, it didn't matter.

Peeta's other hand found the zipper along her back. He slipped the dress off her shoulders, leaving her clad only in a bra and panties. She undid his tie and threw it in the direction of the bed. Their fingers fumbled together as they unbuttoned his shirt.

Suddenly, Katniss pulled away. He trailed kisses down the side of her face, stopping to suck on her pulse point. His lips were still against her throat when she said, "Wait."

"Too fast?" he asked, looking down. Her dress was a green puddle at her feet.

"No, it's just…" She bit her lip. "I've only been with one other person."

"Okay," he said.

She stared at him expectantly, and he frowned.

"I'm sorry – should that make me reconsider or something?"

"No, I just feel…inexperienced next to you," she said.

"Katniss, how many girls do you think I've been with?"

She blushed and looked away. "I don't know. More than one."

"Try three."

She glanced up at him. "Three?" she echoed. "That's it?"

"Yes, that's it. I've only been in one serious relationship, and that was in high school."

"Oh."

"I told you, you can't believe everything you read."

"It's not that. I just thought…" She shrugged. "You can have any girl you want."

"Well, I don't want every girl."

She laughed. "I ruined the moment, didn't I?"

Peeta's smile faded as he tugged at the ends of her hair, his knuckles brushing against her breast. "I don't think anything's ruined," he said, his voice low.

He laced his fingers through hers and pulled her toward the bed. He sat on the edge, and she climbed into his lap. They kissed slowly, leisurely, like they had all the time in the world. Katniss imagined they might. The world outside was dark, lit up only by stars, and this night could easily stretch on forever.

Peeta fell back onto the mattress, pulling her with him. As her hands made quick work of his belt, she forgot about the dark, the stars, the entire world outside his window. The only things that existed were this room, this bed, the two of them entwined.

A moment later, when he asked if she was sure, she wanted to tell him she had never been more uncertain about anything in her life. She had never been more scared. But at the same time, she had never wanted anything as badly either.

So she kissed him softly and said, "Yes."

* * *

Katniss woke some time after two. Panic seized her when she realized she was not in her apartment. Finding Peeta asleep beside her did nothing to assuage her anxiety.

She had fallen asleep? She had never planned on staying over. The last thing she remembered was resting her head on his chest, his heartbeat steady in her ear, while he threaded his fingers through her hair. It had felt good, too good apparently, as it had soothed her right into sleep.

But she remembered something else, something he had said as she drifted off:

"Now there's no way I'm letting you go."

She carefully slipped out of bed, found her purse discarded by the door, and closed herself in the bathroom.

She was surprised to find no missed calls or frantic text messages. In fact, there was only one text, and it was devoid of exclamation points or question marks.

_Annie: Hey, Katniss. Don't worry. Prim is with me tonight. I fed her dinner, and we're watching movies on the couch with Rue. Don't rush home. We'll see you whenever. :)_

Katniss breathed a sigh of relief. What would she do without Annie? Not only did she look after Prim, but she always made sure Katniss was happy.

Katniss mentally scolded herself for falling asleep. She was Prim's guardian, and it was _her _responsibility to make sure Prim ate dinner. She was supposed to make sure Prim was safe and cared for. While it was nice of Annie to assume the role for the evening, it wasn't her job.

Katniss sighed. She'd worry about this later. For now, all her loved ones were safe, and she was exhausted.

She carefully crept back into bed, but Peeta stirred, his eyes fluttering open.

He gave her a sleepy smile. "Hey." He lifted his arm up, and she slipped beneath it.

Within moments, she was fast asleep.

* * *

The next morning, she sat perched on the bed while he finished packing. She felt like she was sinking, like there was a black hole in her chest, sucking every good feeling out of her body.

Peeta closed his suitcase and zipped it up. He was back in his trademark jeans and hoodie. His usual baseball cap waited on the dresser next to his messenger bag.

"I could stay," he said suddenly, looking up at her. "For another couple of weeks. Maybe even a month."

"Peeta…"

"I could. The guys don't really need me. Not yet."

"You're supposed to start recording your new album."

He dropped down beside her on the bed. "Just the thought is exhausting."

"What? You don't want to do it?"

"I don't know. It's our fourth album. Every time we record something, I think, 'This is it. This is the one that'll be universally panned. This is the one that ends our career.'"

"That's just nerves," Katniss said, grabbing his arm. "You could record yourself singing the alphabet, and it'd probably still hit number one."

He shook his head, stared down at their entwined fingers. There was more on his mind. She could tell from the expression on his face. "It's just...there are more important things than music. Sometimes it feels like a waste of time."

"It doesn't feel like a waste to those millions of fans you have."

"I'm sorry. I know I sound ungrateful."

"It's okay to want something different," she said.

He kissed her forehead, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm going to come visit as soon as I can," he said.

The idea of another visit was intoxicating, but she had to resist it. This was it. She'd be lucky to see him the next time he came through Connecticut on tour.

"Okay," she said. She didn't want to share her negativity. She wanted every last second she had with him to be perfect.

He skimmed the side of her face, pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. His kiss tasted like the peppermint toothpaste the hotel had provided. He still smelled like the honey they had dipped their bread in the night before.

When he pulled away, her throat threatened to close up as she willed her tears away. She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't.

"I'm coming back," he said.

She nodded vigorously because she couldn't speak, not without opening the floodgate that currently held back her tears.

"I am," he repeated. "And we'll text each other. All the time."

She nodded again. Of course. But she remembered their busy schedules, the way they never seemed to be available at the same time.

And of course there was Cashmere Phillips and dozens of women like her waiting for Peeta to return to LA. Peeta had played at being a normal guy, but it was time for him to return to his real life.

"Katniss?" She looked up at him, and he kissed her again. "I love you."

She smiled, but she couldn't say the words back.

* * *

She hadn't been lying when she said she had never been in love before. She had cared for Cato, and his loss stung, but she had been much too busy, too emotionally numb to fall apart.

Peeta, apparently, hadn't been lying when he said she'd know love when she felt it. She had always known love was pain, heartache, and she felt it now, lying in Annie's bed, crying against her roommate's shoulder.

Peeta had only been gone for twelve hours, and already she was a mess. But this was it, she promised herself. She could cry as much and as hard as she wanted tonight, but tomorrow, things would return to normal. She had the work week to tackle, and a sister to take care of, and a life to live. Everything didn't stop because the man she loved had gone home. It _couldn't_.

Prim burst into the bedroom. "Katniss!"

"Hey, Prim," she responded, not bothering to pick up her head.

"Why weren't you answering your phone?"

"My phone?" she echoed. She patted her pocket and checked Annie's nightstand table. "It must be in the living room. I'm sorry." She held out her hand to invite Prim to join her sobfest on the bed, but Prim shook her head.

"You need to see this," she said, typing furiously on her phone.

"Prim, I'm really not in the mood for gossip columns right now."

"Trust me," Prim said. "It's important."

Katniss and Annie both sat up against the headboard. Prim handed over her phone.

"Peeta Mellark Stepping Out on Cashmere Phillips with Unidentified Girl" read the headline. Below it was a picture of Katniss and Peeta sharing one last kiss in front of his rental car. Her back was to the camera. Unfortunately, a few more pictures followed, one of Peeta getting into the car and another of Katniss walking away.

"Oh my god!" Katniss exclaimed. She jumped off the bed and ran out into the living room where she found her cell phone sitting on the arm of the couch.

_17 missed calls_

_37 unread text messages_

_32 Facebook notifications_

_15 emails_

"Well?" Prim asked, trying to look over her sister's shoulder.

"Looks like I didn't stay unidentified for long."


	8. Chapter 8

_What a slut._

_WHOREE_

_first cashmere now this chick? I guess we all know Peeta's type...basic bitches!_

_she's only with him bcuz he's famous._

_omg, she's so friggin' skinny! can you say eating disorder?_

_She's obviously using him for his money. UGH. It's so unfair. Why can't Peeta see how FAKE she is?_

_I wish she'd do us all a favor and kill herself_

In the darkness of the living room, Katniss covered her face and cried. She didn't know why she was so upset. None of those girls knew her. She was just a face, a name, a picture. She wasn't a real person.

And these comments were just words from anonymous people. But they felt bigger than that. Katniss had always believed she didn't care what people thought of her, but it was different when it felt like the whole world was judging her.

She clicked out of the gossip website and shut down Prim's laptop. Wiping tears from her eyes, she laid back on the pullout couch and curled into her comforter. Her phone sat on the end table beside the sofa where it had been all night. She had shut it off shortly after she discovered all of her notifications. People she hadn't heard from in years had called or texted. While she didn't have a major presence on social media, she did have a Facebook page. She had never kept up with the privacy changes, so she was easily discovered by people from high school, Effie's clients, friends of friends of friends. Anyone who could recognize her picture and remember her first name found her easily.

She was never turning on her phone again.

In the midst of all the chaos, Peeta had called and texted, but she hadn't read or listened to his messages. They still waited for her on her phone.

She didn't know why she was avoiding him, or why she was crying in the dark over words that didn't matter, but here she was, completely irrational and totally exhausted.

A light suddenly switched on, startling her. She quickly wiped the last of her tears away and closed her eyes, feigning sleep.

"Yeah, right," Annie said. "I know you're awake."

"Am not," Katniss mumbled into her pillow.

Annie lay down beside her roommate and poked her in the back. "I heard you crying."

"I wasn't crying."

"Okay. I heard you moving around. I heard you existing."

"Sorry for being loud," Katniss said.

"No need to apologize. I Just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"It's three in the morning. Make sure I'm okay later. You need to go back to sleep."

"And you don't?" Annie sighed. "I was up anyway."

"What were you doing up?" Katniss asked, turning over.

Annie bit her lip. "I'm not sure I should say."

"Oh, well now that you're being completely mysterious and evasive, I'll let the matter drop."

"It's just...all so new. It might not be anything. Really, it's nothing."

"Spill," Katniss commanded.

"I was just texting with someone...long-distance. It's midnight his time, so I've been up."

"Who do you know who lives-no!" Katniss sat up quickly. "Annie, you are not texting Finnick Odair!"

"I am." She covered her face and kicked out her legs before going limp. "What am I doing?"

"Making a huge mistake," Katniss said. "You know it won't work out. Look what happened between me and Peeta."

Annie dropped her hands to her side, looking alarmed. "What? Are you officially broken up?"

"Yes. No. I don't know." Katniss shook her head. "I just meant the scandal that is currently in progress. By tomorrow morning, everyone is going to know who I am."

"Oh," Annie said. "I mean, I know you wanted to avoid all that, but now that it's out there, shouldn't you and Peeta be working on moving forward? Shouldn't you be coming up with some sort of game plan?"

"I haven't exactly spoken with Peeta yet."

"What do you mean you 'haven't exactly spoken with Peeta yet'? Do you mean, like, in the past hour? Be very specific."

"I haven't spoken to him since I said goodbye at the hotel."

"Okay, hold on, I need a minute to process your idiocy," Annie said, closing her eyes and holding a hand to her forehead. "Oh no, it's taking longer than expected. How could you not have spoken to him? This is the very worst time to shut him out!"

"I-"

"He must be going insane wondering if you're okay! And he's obviously doing it alone or else Finnick would have mentioned it."

"Does Peeta know about you and Finnick?"

"Nice try, Kat, but we're still talking about you. What's going on in that stupid head of yours?"

Katniss lay back down. It was easier to stare up at the ceiling than look at Annie. "I don't know. There's nothing he can do to make it better. It's out there now."

"Exactly. It's out there now, and there's no turning back. Don't punish him for something he can't control."

"I'm not trying to. I just can't deal with it right now. I didn't want this."

"So how is pushing Peeta away going to help you? It's too late to stop it."

"I'm just...I'm upset. I'm angry."

"At him?"

"No. I'm mostly angry at myself for letting things go this far. I never should have let him visit me in the first place."

"Why? Because you hate happiness?"

"Very funny."

"You need to call him. Or text him. Something. He doesn't deserve the silent treatment."

Katniss nodded, but she was still afraid. Even with Peeta's promise that he'd visit, she thought their relationship had been ending. Was he supposed to try and make it work now just because they had been exposed? She didn't want to be his obligation.

She just didn't want to deal with the confusion and heartache. She didn't want to deal with any of it.

"Alright, I'm going back to bed," Annie said. "You need to think this all through."

"Right. We discuss me, but not your relationship with Finnick Odair?"

"It's not a relationship. It's barely a friendship. It's a texting-ship, okay?" Annie stood up and looked down at her best friend. "Oh, and Kat? Stay off those gossip sites. Most of the people who leave comments are batshit crazy."

"Okay, Mom." Katniss forced a smile. Annie squeezed her hand before returning to her bedroom.

Katniss stared in the direction of her phone for several minutes before her eyes grew heavy, and she fell asleep.

* * *

Katniss didn't call him.

And she didn't power on her phone.

Annie offered to call Effie and tell her that Katniss had the stomach bug, but Katniss turned her down. What was the point of staying home and wallowing? Without something to occupy her mind, she'd probably end up on those damn gossip websites again.

And she really didn't need to read any more speculation about her supposed eating disorder, her sexual history, or her reasons for dating Peeta.

No sooner did she step into work than Effie burst out of her office, teetering on her sky high heels, to give Katniss a hug and air kiss.

"My dear! I had no idea!" Effie exclaimed.

There was the briefest moment of confusion before Katniss realized: of course Effie knew. She kept up with all the celebrity gossip.

"Imagine my surprise when I actually recognized Peeta Mellark's mystery woman! My own assistant!"

"Right, yeah, um, I really don't-"

"That poor Cashmere though! I thought they looked so good together."

"They never actually-"

"You must be careful, Katniss. Stealing another woman's boyfriend? That's bad karma and poor manners!"

Katniss sighed and stopped trying to cut in. Effie chattered at her all the way to her desk, and then continued to do so even after the phone rang.

"Um, Effie? I should probably get that," Katniss finally said.

"Oh, of course. But you and I are having lunch today! I want to hear everything!"

Katniss would sooner jump out the window, but she nodded.

"Hello, Effie Trinket's office."

"Hi, there, I was wondering if I could speak to Katniss Everdeen?" a high, shrill voice asked.

Katniss pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. Besides Prim's school, no one had ever called and asked for her. A bad feeling washed over her.

"Who may I ask is calling?" Katniss said.

"I'm with _Star_ magazine. Are you friends with Katniss?" the voice asked. "I'm just looking for a comment about her relationship with Peeta Me-"

Katniss hung up. She had to restrain herself from throwing the phone across the room.

Looks like the press had finally identified her too. That didn't take long.

The phone rang again. Katniss took a deep breath, answered the phone ("Hi, this is Velma from _Us Weekly_), and promptly hung up.

"Effie, I have to go home," Katniss announced to the empty room. She rushed over to Effie's office door.

"You what?"

"Either I have to go home or put the voicemail on. I can't keep answering the phone."

"But that's your job," Effie said with forced brightness. "You're supposed to answer the phone."

"I just received two phone calls from the tabloids in the span of two minutes-"

Effie's face lit up. "The tabloids are calling?"

"They want to know about me and Peeta."

"Well, tell them, dear! They'll just make it up themselves otherwise."

"Absolutely not. I am not giving them any details. It's none of their business!"

"Have you forgotten who you're dating? It's everyone's business."

Katniss resisted the urge to yell at her boss. She didn't understand why being famous meant giving up one's privacy. Peeta entertained people for a living. He made them happy. In exchange, the paparazzi hounded him, the press gossiped about him, and his so-called fan base harassed whichever woman he cared about.

"I'm taking a personal day, Effie."

"But you-"

"No," Katniss said with more force than she intended. "I never take time off. I'll set up the voicemail and do your edits from home. If you need me, call the work cell."

Effie bristled at Katniss's tone, but didn't say a word, so Katniss stomped off as the phone rang again.

After hanging up on the third caller and setting the phone to go straight to voicemail, Katniss hightailed it out of there. As soon as she reached her apartment, she dove into Prim's messy bed.

Lying down in her blouse and pencil skirt beneath a blanket and a huge pile of Prim's clothes was a new low. Katniss prided herself on never missing work. She couldn't remember the last time she had called out sick or lounged around in the middle of the day.

But here she was, pathetic and moping because some people had called her names on the Internet.

Well that, and the sudden surge of reporters wanting to know more.

She might never leave her apartment again.

Hell, she might never leave this bed.

She thought of her cell phone sitting in her purse. She really needed to call Peeta and tell him she was okay. But her eyelids grew heavy as she burrowed deeper into Prim's blankets. Between the lack of sleep and the emotional roller coaster of the past twenty-four hours, she was exhausted.

Maybe she would close her eyes for just a few minutes. Then, she'd call him.

* * *

A loud knock on the front door woke Katniss up. She disentangled herself from Prim's blankets and clothes and rushed to the front door. She looked through the peephole and her jaw dropped.

"Peeta?"

She threw open the door. As she stared at him in shock, she suddenly became aware that her skirt was on sideways and her braid was falling out.

She smoothed back her hair and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure you're okay. You weren't picking up. I was worried."

"So you flew across the country to see me?" she asked.

He blushed and scratched the back of his neck. "It might have been a bit of an overreaction, but—"

She threw her arms around him, cutting him off. "I'm sorry," she said into his ear. "I'm so glad you're here."

He hugged her back. "You can't keep doing this," he said. "You can't push me away every time things get difficult. Especially when they get really, really difficult."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Can I come in?"

"Of course," she said, stepping aside. Once his back was to her, she fixed her skirt and pushed her braid off her shoulder. "How'd you know I'd be home?"

"I called your office, but it went straight to voicemail. I didn't want to barge in, so I thought I'd wait here until Prim or Annie got home. I saw your car."

Peeta sat on the couch and tugged Katniss down beside him. She turned and draped her legs over his lap.

"What happened?" he asked.

"The press found out where I work."

"Shit," he said. "Did you say anything to them?"

"Of course not! How could you—"

"Whoa, whoa, I'm not accusing you of anything. I just want to know what happened."

Katniss sighed. "Sorry. I'm sort of on the defensive right now."

He ran his fingertips up and down her leg. She sighed and snuggled deeper into the couch.

"How did Haymitch react?" she asked.

"Let's just say I never realized there were so many synonyms for the word 'idiot.'"

"Why is he always insulting you?"

"He only does it when I deserve it. And I really do deserve it. We were seconds away from being clear, and I just had to kiss you one last time."

"Hey, I wanted to be kissed," she said. "It's not like it's all your fault."

"Yeah, but I should have known better. Anyone could have been around. It's just our luck some high school girl was outside the building."

"Really? We were exposed by a teenager?"

"I think she was waiting for me. When she saw I had company, she snapped a picture and uploaded it to twitter. It took off from there."

Katniss was silent for a moment, her dread like lead weight in her stomach. It was making her nauseous. "They're going to find out everything, aren't they?"

Peeta sighed. "Yeah. They are."

"Why do they care who you date? Or what happened to my mother? Why does it matter?"

"To most people, we're just stories. Things to entertain them, distract them from their own problems. The juicier the story, the better," he said.

"Great."

He traced small circles around her ankle. When he spoke again, he didn't look up. "They might...they might say some real awful stuff."

She didn't mention that some of his fans already had. There was no point in confessing she had ventured into the comments' section of a couple of gossip websites. She wouldn't make the mistake of doing it again.

"But no matter what happens, no matter what they say, I'm not going anywhere, okay?" he said. "I'm here for you."

She nodded and reached for his hand.

"I really am glad you're here," she said.

"Me too."

* * *

Peeta could only stay one night, so he spent it at Katniss's apartment. After Annie and Prim went to sleep, Katniss pulled out the sofa bed.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to stay with me because of all this," Katniss said, getting under the covers.

Peeta settled in beside her. "What do you mean?"

It was hard to see his face in the dark, but she could make out the outline of his frown.

"Only that long distance relationships are hard. But you're not under any obligation to visit more or try harder just because the press knows about me."

He grabbed her hand beneath the comforter. "You think I care about any of that? I don't let those idiots influence any of my decisions."

"I just - if we're going to give this a try, I want it to be for the right reasons."

"The fact that I love you isn't a good enough reason?"

Katniss squeezed his hand and inched closer. "That's the perfect reason."

"Look, I promise this whole thing will die down. But I have an idea to make it go away faster."

Katniss instantly brightened. The sooner the press stopped hounding her and anonymous strangers stopped criticizing her, the better.

"Come back to LA with me. Just for a little while."

Katniss let out a startled laugh. "What?"

"If you stay here, they'll keep calling you. Eventually they'll show up at your work. Maybe even where you live. They'll drag this out. But if you come to LA with me, they'll get their pictures and their stupid story. There will be less of a mystery, and the story will run its course much faster."

"Is that really the best idea? Give them what they want?"

"I would just rather be around you when the paparazzi start appearing. I don't want you to have to fend those assholes off alone."

She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I can't just leave," she said. "I have work and Prim."

"Prim's old enough to watch out for herself. And Annie's here anyway."

"Annie isn't her guardian. I am."

He cupped her cheek and leaned closer. "Everyone deserves a vacation. From their jobs, their responsibilities. Even parents get away for a little while."

"Effie will never allow it," Katniss said.

"Don't you get vacation time?" he asked. "I'm not talking about long. Just a week."

"Yeah, I don't think so. Effie almost threw a fit when I took a personal day today."

"Maybe I can convince her."

"Yeah? How?"

"She designs clothes, right? And she's trying to break into the business. She wants to make a name for herself."

"And…?"

"And I'll get someone famous to wear one of her dresses. Maybe Eliza Miller?"

"Like the actress?"

"Sure. She's a friend of a friend."

Katniss was about to protest further, insist Effie wasn't so easily bought, but then she decided to change tactics. She decided to tell the truth.

"I'm worried about leaving Prim."

"She's fifteen," Peeta said. "She'll survive a week without you."

"I just...I fought so hard to keep her. My grandparents didn't think I was capable. If Prim hadn't told them she'd rather stay with me, I'm not sure I'd have her. I'm worried about leaving her alone. Even if it's just for a week."

"Do you want to bring her too?"

"Absolutely not! Have her ditch school for a week to hang out in LA? I'd be the worst guardian ever."

"Just think about it, okay? My flight doesn't leave until tomorrow night. If you change your mind, I can book you a ticket. We can go together."

She kissed him then, hoping some of his eternal optimism would somehow rub off on her. His tongue traced her top lip, and he deepened the kiss, his mouth slanting against hers. His hand slid underneath her tank top and came to rest on the small of her back, pushing her closer. She hitched a leg over his and continued to kiss him, until reluctantly she pulled away.

"We can't do this," Katniss whispered. "Not here, not with Prim and Annie down the hall."

"You really need your own bedroom," Peeta said.

"I know." She turned around, pressed her back against his chest, and pulled his arm over her side.

"Comfortable?" he asked, his breath tickling her ear.

"Mmhmm. Goodnight, Peeta."

"Goodnight," he said. "I hope you'll think about what I said."

* * *

After Annie and Prim left, Katniss slid the deadbolt in front of the apartment door, and jumped back into bed with Peeta. Fooling around in the living room was strange. It was too bright thanks to the blinds that didn't completely shut out the light, and the room was too big, making her feel exposed.

However, once Peeta's hand landed between her thighs, she forgot where she was completely. They could have had an audience, and she wouldn't have noticed or cared.

After, as they laid side by side, Peeta asked her about LA.

It was tempting. So tempting. But Katniss was still worried about leaving her sister alone for a whole week.

And, truthfully, she was worried about fitting in. She was socially awkward in familiar situations. She could only imagine how awkward she'd be surrounded by celebrities.

There was still that same worry tugging at the back of her mind that she couldn't compare to the women of Los Angeles. It was one thing for Peeta to see them on his own. It was something else entirely to have Katniss beside them where it would be painfully obvious she didn't measure up.

But if she didn't go now, when would she? She doubted her hangups would magically go away any time soon.

Ten minutes later, as she gathered her clothes off the floor, she was still on the fence. Just as she headed into Prim's room to dress for the office, her work cell rang.

"Katniss, dear, I understand you're, well, skittish about these things, so I think it's best if you don't come in today."

Apparently hell had frozen over while she and Peeta had been in bed together because there was no way Effie would just give Katniss the day off. Not without a very, very good reason.

"What's going on?" Katniss asked.

"Oh dear, the paparazzi are standing outside the building. They're waiting to get a glimpse of you."

* * *

Peeta offered to distract them. He offered to go with her, and let them take another picture of the two of them together. He offered to smash each and every one of their cameras, even though, technically, he could get arrested.

Instead, Katniss asked Effie for a week off. When that was met with resistance, she put Peeta on the phone. Less than five minutes later, Katniss had a week and a half vacation.

She wasn't running away. She was merely changing the narrative to one she controlled. Instead of letting them photograph her real life, she would go to LA, and let them take pictures of her there. With Peeta at her side, there would be fewer surprises and, hopefully, unpleasant incidents.

Katniss called Annie.

Peeta called the airline and booked a second seat.

Katniss picked Prim up from school.

The conversation did not go well.

* * *

"You're leaving? Just like that?" Prim demanded.

Katniss was surprised by the vehemence in Prim's voice. They weren't even out of the school parking lot yet.

"You make it sound like I'm going forever. It's just for a week."

Prim crossed her arms at her chest and looked out the window.

"What's wrong?" Katniss asked. "I thought you'd be happy for me."

"Oh yeah, I'm really happy that the guy you've been attached at the hip to for the past month is now taking you away to LA. It's not like I need my sister or anything."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Katniss asked, glancing over at Prim. "I thought everything was okay between us. We still spend time together."

"Whatever."

"Prim, if you don't want me to go, I won't. I'm just trying to avoid the paparazzi invading our lives."

"Don't pretend that's the only reason you're going."

Katniss sighed. She was getting angry, but she knew she couldn't show it. Prim was upset, and Katniss had to be the adult in the situation.

"I'm not," Katniss said. "I want to go and spend time with Peeta too."

"Then go," Prim said. "Don't stay home on my account."

Katniss wanted to continue the conversation, but she wasn't sure what to say or if she could handle any more of Prim's anger.

"When are you leaving?" Prim asked, still looking out the window.

"In a few hours."

A moment of silence stretched between them like a rubber band, their anger providing an unbearable tension. Katniss feared it would snap, hurting them both, so she kept her mouth shut.

Finally, Prim said, "Okay." She rested her forehead against the window. "But I'm not helping you pack."

* * *

When Katniss and Prim arrived back at the apartment, Prim shut herself in her room without saying hello to Peeta.

Eventually, Katniss had to come in so she could gather her stuff, but Prim ignored her by pretending to do homework.

Katniss kept her packing simple: a couple of pairs of shorts, jeans, a bathing suit, her nice green dress, a few tops. She had no idea what to expect.

Once she was done packing, she said goodbye to Prim and received a stiff hug in return. Annie was much more excited.

"I can't believe you're going to California! I'm so jealous!" Annie said.

"Maybe you'll be the one going out there next," Katniss mumbled, so Peeta didn't hear.

Annie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

"Now you're sure you're okay with this?"

"Oh, you know, come to think of it, now that Peeta has purchased a plane ticket for you and you're all packed, I've changed my mind. I can't look after Prim."

"Ha-ha, very funny," Katniss deadpanned. "I wrote a check for the rent. It's on the fridge. You'll deliver it?"

"Absolutely. No worries, Kat, we won't be evicted while you're gone."

They hugged each other. Annie held tight and whispered encouragement into Katniss's ear. "Don't forget he loves you. No matter what happens. Okay?"

"I know," Katniss said, pulling away. "Thanks."

Annie nodded then gave her roommate a push. "Okay, off you go. Time for me and Prim to throw a raging party."

"Bye Annie." Peeta waved. "I'll be sure to tell Finnick you didn't mention him at all."

"Finnick? Finnick who?" Annie asked with a sly smile.

Katniss and Peeta headed toward the door, her suitcase in his hand. Her heart hammered in her chest, but she refused to say anything about how nervous she was.

"Are you ready?" Peeta asked.

She knew he meant if she had everything, but it was a loaded question. Was she ready to leave her sulking sister behind? Was she ready to saddle her angelic roommate with said sulking teenager?

Was she ready to meet Peeta's friends, and be photographed by the paparazzi, and become a name that people knew? She had no dreams of fame, and she knew she'd fade quickly from the spotlight, but she was still terrified of the current scrutiny, of the cruel anonymous commenters, and the press that could take her life story and spin it however they wanted.

Was she ready?

Absolutely not.

"Oh wait," Peeta said. "I almost forgot." He pulled a small plastic bag out of the front of his messenger bag.

"What's this?" she asked. She peeked inside and pulled out a pair of black sunglasses.

"Twelve dollars at Target," Peeta said. "For your disguise."

She put on the sunglasses, pushing them up into her hair. She smiled at him, a nervous excitement running through her. Somehow, this was the best present he had ever gotten her. Better, even, than renting out an entire restaurant for dinner. This was proof that he listened to her, that he understood her.

"I'm ready now," she said, grabbing Peeta's hand.

At least, with him by her side, she could pretend.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I apologize for the wait! Real life became insanely busy. But I'm back with a new chapter and an increased rating. Katniss and Peeta are having trouble keeping their hands off each other, and I suppose the rating should reflect that. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

The flashbulbs were blinding. She now understood why celebrities so often wore sunglasses indoors. Sunglasses not only made them seem cool and indifferent to the chaos surrounding them, but it kept them from going blind.

Katniss tried to appear unbothered by the swarm of paparazzi surrounding them as they walked through the airport lobby, but it was nearly impossible. The paps moved as one body, oozing along with her and Peeta's every move. If one moved out of the way, there was instantly another one to take his place.

They yelled too, questions about Katniss, about her relationship with Peeta, about Cashmere Phillips. They demanded a kiss or some kind of comment, but Peeta simply held tight to her hand and led her through the din.

They finally reached the limo waiting for them. Seconds before Peeta shut the car door, Katniss thought she heard Prim's name. Her head snapped back, but the noise was already muffled as the flashbulbs continued to go off, reflected against the window tints.

"Was that enough?" Katniss asked as the limo pulled away from the curb. "Can we go back to Connecticut now?"

Peeta threw his sunglasses over onto the seat. He took her hands and squeezed. "I promise it won't be that bad all the time. The airport is always a nightmare. Someone is always coming and going."

Katniss nodded. Peeta leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her lips. He slipped the sunglasses up into her dark hair and studied her face.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yes." She took a deep breath. She didn't know how Peeta handled all of this attention. There was nothing exciting or glamorous about a mob of cameras following your every move, screaming personal questions, hoping, praying for a reaction.

But she could do this. She had to. If she wanted a future with Peeta, she had to try.

* * *

Peeta's house had five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a kitchen with two ovens and two dishwashers, and a movie theater.

"You couldn't spring for a house with five bathrooms? Really?" she asked, as Peeta set her bag down. "I'm not going to have to share with the butler, am I?"

"Haha," Peeta deadpanned.

"So this is your bedroom?"

She walked around, studying the few pictures scattered around the walls. There were a couple of Peeta, Finnick, Gale, and Darius, which made Katniss inexplicably happy. It was nice to see casual shots of them just hanging out, being normal, being friends. She hated to think about Peeta living in this big empty house all alone. These pictures proved that at least he wasn't lonely.

There were a few other shots of people she didn't know: a girl with dark hair and a sharp chin, a heavier blonde girl with a beautiful smile, and a dark-haired guy about the height and width of a cornstalk.

Then, on Peeta's nightstand table, sat a small 3"x5" frame. Inside was the photo he had taken of himself and Katniss the night they got drunk together and decided to share their most intimate secrets.

"Hey," she said. "That's us."

"Ignore this," he said, pushing the frame face down. "It's just some girl I know. No big deal."

"You were home for less than twenty-four hours," she accused. Less than a day, and he had managed to print out and frame a picture of the two of them and buy her a pair of sunglasses. A faint blush heated her cheeks.

"That picture was in the frame when I bought it," he said. "The pair make a cute couple, so I thought, why not just leave it?"

"Mmhmm."

"It actually came with the house. It's disgusting, in my opinion, but the realtor said I had to keep it or—"

Katniss pounced on him, knocking him down onto the bed.

"Hey," he said, staring up into her gray eyes.

"Hey."

Despite the jetlag and exhaustion that demanded she go to sleep, despite the anxiety and apprehension over what awaited her over the next several days, Katniss pressed her lips against his.

"I'm not tired," she said.

"I think we can find something to occupy ourselves."

She savored every kiss, every touch as they slowly rid themselves of their clothing and slipped beneath the blankets. She knew whatever happened in the next week would set the their relationship on a permanent course toward _something_, but she had no idea which direction she wanted it to go in. She only knew she was terrified of losing him almost as much as she feared keeping him.

So she did her best not to think about it. She squeezed her eyes shut, let out a breath as he settled between her legs, and whispered his name against the sheets until he silenced her with a kiss.

* * *

The first day in LA was uneventful in that they didn't leave the house. It was amazing in that they didn't leave his bed.

This was the first time in years that Katniss had no responsibilities to worry about. There was no job to report to, no chore to finish, no sister to check up on. Eventually, she would call home to ensure both Annie and Prim were fine, but for now, she was enjoying her freedom.

As the afternoon faded into evening, Peeta begrudgingly admitted he had made dinner plans with his friends who were very excited to meet her.

All too soon, Katniss was wearing the one pair of jeans she had brought with her, a loose tank top, and suppressing the urge to ask Peeta if she looked okay _again_. He had given her the name of where they were going – a restaurant called Winter's Rose – which sounded much too upscale for a tank top. Even if it was a flowy one she had once worn to work with a cardigan.

"You look beautiful," Peeta said for the third time. "I promise you're dressed perfectly."

An 'are you sure' bubbled up her throat, but she quickly turned away to look back in the mirror rather than ask it. She had this idea that all the restaurants in LA were fancy and exclusive, and the hostesses would immediately balk at the sight of her.

Part of her wished they were going out to meet Peeta's band mates for dinner rather than the three strangers from the pictures in his room. At least Katniss had already met Finnick, Gale, and Darius. She liked them, and they seemed to like her.

This thought put her a little at ease. If she could handle three ridiculously famous and handsome men, then she could meet three of Peeta's closest friends.

"Delly is the blonde, right?" Katniss asked. Peeta had reassured her that everyone would introduce themselves at the restaurant, but she was worried she'd mix up the two girls despite them looking nothing alike.

"Yup. And Johanna is the mean one." At Katniss's deer-in-headlights look, he laughed. "I'm kidding. Sort of." He shrugged. "She's a little rough around the edges, but she's a nice person, I promise."

"And that leaves Thom."

Peeta moved in between Katniss and the mirror. He grabbed her hands and squeezed. She didn't know why, but this gesture always managed to ground her.

"You're going to be fine," he said.

"I just want them to like me," she replied.

"They will. I promise."

She nodded, knowing she had to get a hold of herself. She was usually so much more self-assured, but those anonymous online comments had done a number on her. All she could think about was those strangers discussing and dissecting her looks, her past, her motives. She felt judged by Peeta's friends, even though they had never met her, and it was highly unlikely they paid attention to trashy gossip.

But still. She wanted a fair chance, and she felt like she was entering the night with a handicap.

"Ready?" Peeta asked, stuffing his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans.

Katniss grabbed her sunglasses and hooked them over her shirt.

"Yeah," she said, ignoring the slight shake in her hands.

* * *

Johanna greeted her coolly with a nod of her head and a slight wave. Thom shook her hand and said he was happy to meet her. Delly, on the other hand, threw her arms around Katniss and pulled her into a hug as if they were old friends.

"So you're the one that kept Peeta away for a whole month!" Delly exclaimed, not unkindly. Her smile was much too wide and bright for malice. She was either very sweet or an amazing actress.

"It's nice to meet you," Katniss said.

"Come sit next to me," Delly said, indicating the empty seat beside her.

"What's with the extra chairs?" Peeta asked.

"Jo invited Alex and his sister," Thom answered.

Johanna shoved him. "Ugh, you're such a tattletale."

"Jo, come on, I thought it'd just be the four of us," Peeta said.

"You got to invite your little girlfriend. I invited my boyfriend."

Katniss bristled at the sneer in Johanna's voice but said nothing. She could tell Peeta was already irritated.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a tall, handsome guy showed up with a short, redhead with a thin, narrow face. They barely paid Katniss or Peeta any attention. They mumbled hellos and slid in next to Johanna.

Katniss never caught the name of Alex's sister, and found herself mentally referring to her as Foxface thanks to her foxlike features.

Mercifully, a waiter appeared a moment later to take everyone's order. Despite the lowkey atmosphere of the restaurant and the fact that everyone was in jeans and t-shirts - with the exception of Delly who wore a gorgeous blue dress - the prices were extraordinary. Hell, the burgers were $25! Katniss cast a nervous sidelong glance at Peeta, but he didn't seem bothered.

Of course, he wasn't bothered. But Katniss wasn't sure how she could afford more dinners like this. Hopefully, they'd spend most of the week eating at home.

"Oh! I have amazing news," Delly announced once the waiter left. "I just booked a shoot in Maui!"

"A shoot?" Katniss echoed.

"Yeah, I'm doing a spread for _Glamour_. They've been big proponents of including plus-size models in their magazine over the past couple of years. And I've been selected to be part of their swimsuit piece that's featuring models of all shapes and sizes. I'm so excited!"

Katniss's eyes widened at the mention of the word model. Peeta hadn't mentioned any of his friends _modeled_ for a living.

"Did you say plus-size?" Katniss asked before she could stop herself. "You're what? A size eight?"

"Ten, actually," Delly said with a blush. "But I've been trying to get back down to an eight."

"That's plus-size?"

"In the modeling world, it's practically obese."

Katniss wrinkled her nose and took a sip of water before she could blurt out something stupid. Delly was gorgeous and gregarious. She practically glowed when she spoke, so it was easy to see how she'd pop in front of a camera. But plus-sized she was not.

"Congratulations, Del," Peeta said with a huge smile. He held up his water glass and they all toasted to Delly's new job.

"So Katniss, what do you do? Tell us about yourself," Delly prompted.

"Oh, I'm just a personal assistant."

"Ugh, I'm on my third year as a personal assistant," Thom said. "It's awful."

"Working for Effie's okay." Katniss shrugged. "She can be a little demanding, but otherwise, I like it."

"What do you do outside of work?" Delly asked.

"I like to be outdoors," Katniss side. "Go for a hike or take a walk. Mostly, I like hanging out with my best friend, Annie, and my sister, Prim."

"Your sister, right!" Thom exclaimed. "What's that like?"

Katniss's brow furrowed as she tried to determine what he meant. "What's having a sister like?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Peeta's face transform, but it was too late. Thom was already speaking. "No, I mean, what's it like being, you know, her mother basically?"

"Um." Embarrassment washed over her, which only made her feel guilty. She shouldn't feel embarrassed that she had stepped up when her family needed her. But it was another reminder that she didn't fit in with these people. It was less that she was Prim's legal guardian, and more what being her guardian had cost her: a normal life, a chance at college, a savings account that would allow her to splurge on restaurants like this one.

Not to mention she couldn't help but wonder where Thom had gotten his information. While it was possible Peeta had filled his friends in on her situation, she doubted it. He felt bad enough that he learned the truth before she was ready to tell him. She didn't think he'd go around spreading her personal information, even if it was to his closest friends.

Which meant only one thing. The tabloids had already learned all there was to know about her.

"I...should not have brought that up," Thom said. "I'm sorry. It's just strange that Peeta is essentially dating someone with a kid."

"She's not a kid," Delly corrected with an eyeroll. "Prim's a teenager."

"Let's be real," Johanna said. "Peeta scored himself a mom. At least he got a MILF and not some middle-aged cougar."

Silence fell across the table. Katniss and Peeta stared at Johanna.

"MILF," Johanna repeated. "You know, Mom I'd Like to Fu-"

"We got it, thanks," Peeta interjected as Johanna winked in Katniss's direction.

Katniss could only stare back. She had no idea Johanna was listening, and she certainly hadn't expected her to swoop in and break the tension with an inappropriate joke. Maybe she wasn't as cold and indifferent as she seemed.

The rest of dinner went fairly smoothly with Thom keeping his mouth shut. Katniss learned that Johanna was a budding actress with a few major roles in indie movies. She didn't seem to be looking for fame, and she certainly didn't seem interested in mainstream media. Her friendship with Peeta made little sense as he was about as mainstream as one could get, but Katniss wasn't going to point that out.

When the time came to pay, the waitress brought over one check, which Katniss imagined would turn into quite the headache. There were seven of them, and while it was possible they'd just split it evenly seven ways that still meant seven cards or an unbelievable wad of cash and-

"Here you go," Peeta said, handing his credit card to the waitress.

No one at the table offered their own card or money. They just simply continued talking amongst themselves. Alex and his sister stood before Peeta's card returned, and Johanna left with them after a curt goodbye.

"Do you want some money?" Katniss asked quietly, mentally reviewing the state of her finances. She had some cash in her wallet she could play with.

"No, that's okay," Peeta responded. He accepted the receipt and pen from the waitress with a smile. He signed it, left an extra generous tip, and everyone stood up.

"Not even a little something for the tip?" Katniss asked.

"No, it's all set," Peeta said. "C'mon, let's get you home."

The rest of them filed out of the restaurant with hugs and promises to hang out again before the week was over.

Not one of them mentioned Peeta paying the entire check, and not one of them said thank you.

* * *

The next morning, Katniss woke early, thanks to her body still running on Eastern Standard Time. It was 6AM in LA, but 9AM back home.

She turned onto her side and watched Peeta sleep. She listened to his even breathing, watched the rise and fall of his bare chest. An intense want stirred deep inside of her, and instead of falling back asleep, she decided to give into it. With a mischievous smirk, she slipped beneath the covers and ran a hand up his thigh. He stirred, mumbled something in his sleep, but didn't wake up.

She traced his cock through his boxer briefs and pressed an open mouth kiss on his stomach, just above the waistband of his underwear.

This time, he woke up, patting the space beside him, before looking down in confusion at the lump beneath the blankets.

"Katniss?" he mumbled.

She yanked on his boxer briefs, and he lifted his ass in the air, giving her room to slip them down his legs.

"Katniss, what are you - oh, shit."

She wrapped her hand around his shaft before taking him into her mouth. It was warm, almost stifling beneath the blanket, but she felt freer covered up, less inhibited. While they had had sex a handful of times, she had yet to give him a blowjob, and this was the perfect opportunity to remedy that.

"Yes - God, that feels good," he mumbled as she hollowed out her cheeks, sucking harder. She hadn't done this in ages, but apparently it was just like riding a bicycle. She hadn't forgotten how.

He was warm, almost salty in her mouth. She was surprised at how much she enjoyed the taste. She scraped her teeth along his length, and he grunted at the sensation, moving his hand behind her head to force himself deeper into her mouth. She complied enthusiastically, pumping her hand faster.

Suddenly, Peeta was calling out a warning, but instead of moving away, she bobbed her head faster, moaning against him until she felt his come shoot into the back of her throat. She swallowed and swirled her tongue across the tip, making sure she got every last drop.

Finally, she emerged from the cocoon of blankets and snuggled up into Peeta's outstretched arms.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully.

"What was that for?"

"Is that not how they say good morning in LA?" she quipped.

He nodded. "You're absolutely right. I better return the favor."

Her protests fell on deaf ears, as he whipped the blankets back and pulled down her sleeping shorts.

"Peeta, you don't have to do that," she said. "You really don't-"

She cut herself off as he kissed a trail up her thigh. Warmth and desire pooled in her stomach as he slid a finger across the crotch of her underwear. She was already wet, already seeping through the thin layer he was slowly working down her legs.

"I think you deserve a proper good morning," he said. "Don't you?"

* * *

After making a breakfast of eggs and pancakes, and eating it half-naked in bed, Peeta shot her a regretful look. "I have to be in the studio this afternoon. Just for a few hours."

"That's fine," she said, already imagining a day lounging around Peeta's house. While she was interested in sightseeing, the thought of the paparazzi cornering her kept her from considering it. Eventually, the two of them would go out together.

When she realized he still looked regretful, she rushed on to say, "You just feel guilty for leaving me here in your giant house to do lazy things. Right?" At his silence, she plunged on, "Right?"

"I may have made plans for you."

She sunk onto the bed and scowled. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like whatever these plans were.

"Do these plans involve me watching Netflix or taking a quiet hike where people and paparazzi can't reach me?" she asked.

"They actually involve you and Delly. Going shopping."

Katniss fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She could think of a million things she'd rather do than go shopping one-on-one with Peeta's model slash best friend. Posing for the paparazzi actually made the list.

It wasn't that Katniss didn't like Delly. Far from it. Delly had made a real effort during dinner not only to be nice but also to get to know Katniss. She hadn't accidentally insulted her like Thom or ignored her like Johanna.

But Katniss wasn't good with strangers or friendship or shopping.

"What if I were to get sick suddenly?" She coughed pathetically and laid a hand over her forehead. "This jetlag is kicking my ass."

Peeta leaned over, his elbows on either side of her. "Delly's really important to me. And you're really important to me. Therefore, it's vital that the two of you become friends."

"Right." She knew she was being unfair. After all, Peeta had made an effort not only with Annie but Prim as well. Katniss could do this. She could watch Delly shop for a couple of hours and give opinions on different outfits. It might have sounded like her own personal brand of torture, but she could do it. For Peeta.

He helped her stand up and pulled her into a hug. A second later, she felt something small, hard, and plastic slide into her back pocket.

She jumped away. "What are you doing?"

"It's just in case you find something you like," he said.

"Peeta, I am not taking your credit card."

"Think of it as an emergency card."

"Like if the car breaks down and we need a tow?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

"I was thinking more like if you found a pair of shoes you had to have, but sure, if you need a tow truck, do not hesitate to get one."

She shoved her hand into her back pocket, but Peeta was just as fast. He held her hand there, essentially cupping her ass.

"Please take it."

"I'm not using it," she said.

"Even if you don't use it, I'll feel better knowing you have it."

She glared at him. "Fine. But I don't like this."

He kissed her cheek and smiled. "I knew you wouldn't. Now come on. I'll drop you off on the way to the studio."

As soon as Peeta disappeared from the room, Katniss shoved his credit card underneath his pillow. "Yeah, right," she mumbled before following him out the door.

* * *

Delly resembled a movie star in a floral sundress, wedge sandals, huge blue sunglasses, and a straw hat.

Katniss fidgeted in her shorts and t-shirt, wondering if it was too late to play the sick card.

"We are going to have so much fun today!" Delly squealed, pulling her into a hug. Katniss nearly choked on the cloud of sweet smelling perfume. "I wanted to take you to Rodeo Drive, but Peeta said that really wasn't your scene."

Oh, thank goodness. Katniss wasn't sure she could have stomached cruising up and down that famous stretch of LA.

Delly took her to the Beverly Center Shopping Mall instead, which thankfully contained some lower end stores like Express, Victoria's Secret, and Ann Taylor. Unfortunately, Katniss didn't shop at any of those places. She occasionally splurged at Express for a pair of nice dress pants for work because they lasted so much longer than the ones she typically bought, but she usually shopped at Target. Their clothes were cute if cheap and ill-fitting.

Oh well. It's not as if Katniss planned on buying anything today anyway.

Delly was content to do most of the talking - and the shopping – as she dragged Katniss along the top floor. Then, they reached Burberry, Delly's self-proclaimed favorite clothing store, and she became obsessed with putting Katniss in a dress.

"Oh, look at this one!" Delly exclaimed, pulling a green silk dress off the rack. Upon closer inspection, it was imprinted with hundreds of tiny little leaves. "Peeta told me your favorite color is green."

Delly draped it over Katniss's body and tilted her head to the side. "This is perfect. Look at the little keyhole feature! Your breasts are the perfect size for this dress."

"Um, thank you?" Katniss said, her cheeks a bright red.

"Try it on!"

"Oh no, I couldn't - oh my god! Delly. This dress is two thousand dollars!" Katniss took an immediate step back. She was suddenly afraid of touching the dress, lest she rip it by mistake.

"Is it?" Delly checked the price tag and shrugged. "Doesn't mean you can't try it on."

"Um, that's exactly what that means."

"Come on. Just for fun. I'll pick one out too."

"Really, Delly, I—"

"You've been watching me shop all day. Don't you want to get in on it?"

"I could never in a million years afford a dress like that." Suddenly, Katniss felt lightheaded and nauseous. She brushed past Delly and rushed out of the store toward the banister overlooking the first floor of the mall.

A few seconds later, Delly joined her.

"Peeta wants you to have a good time. He said you might want a new dress. I thought…"

"You thought I might want to purchase a two thousand dollar dress?" Katniss shook her head. "Delly, that's more than my rent."

"Peeta gave me his credit card. He said to splurge."

Of course he had. He knew Katniss would never bring his card with her, let alone use it, so he had given another one to Delly. Katniss covered her face. Had she embarrassed him with her clothes the night before at dinner? He had told her she looked fine, but here he was, trying to force her into upgrading her wardrobe.

No. She couldn't let herself think like that. She knew better than that anyway. Peeta had sensed her discomfort and was merely trying to make her feel better by giving her the opportunity to dress like the rest of LA. Or, at least, his circle of friends.

"Katniss, are you okay?"

"No, I'm not. I just…" She trailed off. She wasn't going to get upset in front of this girl she barely knew, no matter how nice she was. "Can we go? Maybe get some lunch?"

"Yeah," Delly said. "I can always eat."

A few minutes later, they sat at a table at California Pizza Kitchen. Finally, a restaurant Katniss had heard of and could afford. She and Delly placed their order – a pizza and a salad, respectively - and slipped into an uneasy silence.

"You really care about him, don't you?" Delly suddenly asked.

"About Peeta? Of course."

"I'm going to be honest with you. Thom and I...weren't exactly sure about you. Peeta was so tightlipped about you that we went to the gossip magazines to see what we could find out."

Katniss's jaw clenched, and she looked away. "You could just ask, you know."

"I know, we felt like asses afterwards. We just...we wanted to make sure that Peeta wasn't making a mistake."

"Is that what today was? A test to make sure he wasn't making a mistake?"

"No!" At Katniss's glare, Delly corrected herself. "Mostly no. Peeta really did give me his card. He said you might enjoy getting a couple of new things. He said you're always spending your money on other people, and you deserved something nice for yourself."

"I'm not going to let him buy me a two thousand dollar dress," Katniss said. "I thought he would know that by now."

"Peeta is…" Delly sighed. "He's generous. Too generous. It's one of the reasons Thom and I were nervous about you. Sometimes Peeta gets wrapped up in being the hero, and he doesn't realize he's getting hurt in the process."

"He's not my hero," Katniss snapped. "And I'm not his charity case."

But the thought wedged itself in the forefront of her mind. Peeta was always trying to do something for her as if she constantly needed saving. Even the gift he had given Prim of the perfect night at Homecoming had been part of the hero shtick. Katniss can't afford a nice dress? Let Peeta step in and buy it!

"I can see that," Delly said with a smile. "Maybe I can purchase something for you? Something a little cheaper? As an apology?"

"How about you just say sorry, and we continue our day together."

Delly's smile grew wider. "I like that idea. Katniss, while I'm not sorry for trying to protect my friend, I am sorry for hurting you in the process. I like you. And as long as you don't do anything to hurt Peeta, I'll continue to like you."

"Is this the part where you threaten to kick my ass?" Katniss asked. "Because that's fine. I can live with that."

"Oh no," Delly said. "You may be tiny, but I have no doubt you could destroy me. Let's just say that if you hurt him, I will judge you harshly and talk shit about you at every available opportunity."

Katniss laughed. "Sounds fair."

* * *

An hour later, Delly dropped Katniss off at the recording studio per Peeta's request. Katniss found herself unexpectedly excited to see Peeta recording with the other guys. She had only seen him perform once, and he so obviously enjoyed it. She wanted to see that happiness light up his face once more.

Unfortunately, by the time she reached the room, Peeta and Haymitch were sitting on two leather seats, glaring at one another.

Katniss slipped inside quietly, not wanting to interrupt. Peeta's back was to her, but Haymitch saw her come in.

"Come on, Peeta. This could be the defining moment of your career. This could be the difference between you becoming the next Justin Timberlake or the next Joey Fatone," Haymitch said.

"Who's Joey Fatone?" Katniss asked.

Haymitch pointed at her. "Exactly! You hear that?" Haymitch asked. "Who's Joey Fatone?"

"That's not fair," Peeta said. "I doubt she could name a single other member of *NSYNC." He reached over and pulled Katniss onto his lap. "And you," he said. "Please don't encourage him. You have no idea what he's even going on about."

"The defining moment of your career," Haymitch reminded him.

"That sounds like a big deal," Katniss said.

Peeta curled a lock of her hair around his finger. "I agreed to a song, not a music video."

"And how are we going to promote this single?" Haymitch asked. "What's the point of the song without a video behind it?"

Peeta sighed and leaned his head against Katniss's shoulder. It took her a moment to realize he was hiding.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I came in today to record my part of a duet," Peeta said. "I'm featured in Madge Undersee's new single."

"Oh! I know who Madge Undersee is!" The press heralded Madge as a new up-and-coming popstar whose talent and charisma rivaled Taylor Swift's and whose voice was often compared to Adele's. She was a powerhouse. "Peeta, that's amazing!"

"Mmm," he hummed in disapproval.

"It's just you? None of the other guys?"

"They don't know yet," Haymitch said. "So we're going to keep this among us for now. Okay, sweetheart?"

"I'll consider it if you promise to never call me sweetheart again," Katniss said. She took Peeta's hand and held it in her lap.

"Why aren't you happy?" she asked.

"Yeah, you pain-in-my-ass, why aren't you happy?" Haymitch stood and stretched. "Look, Katniss, I'm going to leave now and he's going to whine and complain, but you need to remember that this _is _a good move for his career. This could be _the _move. You want to go solo one day?" he asked Peeta. "Then prove your solo material."

Haymitch slammed the door behind him.

Katniss tried to twist around in his lap, but Peeta kept his head hidden behind her back.

"Peeta, please tell me what's going on."

"They want me to shoot a music video with Madge. Tomorrow."

"So? I'll be fine. You can even send me out with Delly again if it makes you feel any better. I kind of like her."

"Yeah?" Peeta peeked over her shoulder. "You had a good time? You buy anything?"

"Don't you even dare," Katniss warned. She handed him the credit card he had left in Delly's possession. "Your other card is beneath your pillow."

"I figured as much."

"So...problem solved?" she asked. "I can fend for myself in LA. I knew you'd be busy while I was down here."

"No, not problem solved." He sighed again. "Katniss, it's a love song."

"Okay? I'm failing to see the problem?"

"The video has a love scene in it."

Katniss stiffened. An unbidden image of Peeta and the beautiful blonde popstar kissing entered her head. "Like you and her…"

"Like me, her, and a bed."

"Oh." Katniss stood up. "Oh."

"I won't do it if you don't want me to." He spun her around, so they were facing each other. "I don't have to do it. They can probably get one the guys to do the duet. Maybe Finnick?"

"No! Not Finnick," Katniss quickly said, thinking of Annie and the silly grin she wore when she mentioned her texting-ship with Finnick.

"It's not...it doesn't have to mean anything. Finnick could do it, and it wouldn't compromise anything with Annie."

"Well, that means you could do it too, right? And it wouldn't compromise anything with us?"

"I guess. It's just...I've never done anything like this while seeing someone. You and I are still so new, and we're trying to work on the problems we already have. Do I really need to add another one to the list?"

Katniss sighed. "But what Haymitch said about this being a defining moment...do you think he's right?"

"He could be. But I don't want to start this now, having to pick between you and my career. That's a shitty path to go down."

"Then, don't. It's not either me or this video, Peeta. I support you in wherever your career takes you. And if it's taking you to a music video set with the most gorgeous girl in the country, then..."

"Yeah, I don't know about the most gorgeous girl in the country." Peeta leaned forward and kissed her. "Wait until the paps see you again. Then we'll discuss the most gorgeous girl in the country."

Katniss couldn't help the blush that heated her cheeks. What did it matter if Peeta had to kiss someone else? It's not like Peeta was the first guy she had ever kissed. And Peeta had slept with women before her. Sure, this time the kissing other people part was going to overlap with her, but what did it matter? He loved her. That was real. Not this music video. Not kissing some girl in front of dozens of other people on a made-up set.

"Do you think you could come? Tomorrow?" Peeta asked. "I get why you might not want to, but it'd mean a lot if you were there."

All of her breath left her body. She had been planning on hiding at Peeta's house or even walking up Rodeo Drive with Delly. Both seemed like more appealing options. That way, she could pretend it wasn't happening. Out of sight, out of mind.

But the way Peeta was looking at her, practically pleading with her made her realize she couldn't resist him. Even if he was asking her to watch him make out with another girl for a few hours.

"Wherever you want me," Katniss said softly. "I'm there."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! And thanks for reading! The lyrics in this chapter do not belong me to me. The song is "Drag Me Down" by One Direction.

Come find me on tumblr and say hi: andthisisthewonder.

* * *

Katniss wasn't sure what was worse: watching her boyfriend make-out with one of the most gorgeous women on the planet or watching them interact during the in-between moments. Sure, Peeta had backed Madge into that dresser and stuck his tongue down her throat five times in a row, but Katniss was somehow more concerned about what the hell they were laughing about when the director yelled cut.

Despite the number of people around, Katniss felt like an interloper, spying on a private moment. She had only been there for fifteen minutes, but Peeta had yet to notice her arrival. His call time that morning had been for seven-thirty, so he had insisted she sleep in and show up later. She had been very tempted to oversleep, but the shoot was scheduled to go until four. She doubted she could get away with sleeping all day.

As Peeta buried his hand in Madge's long blonde hair, Katniss sighed and walked over to the craft service table. There was a delicious spread of cheese, crackers, fruit, vegetables, and dip, but she wasn't all that hungry. She just needed something else to stare at.

"You must be Peeta's girlfriend," a voice said.

Katniss glanced over her shoulder to find a tall muscular blond headed toward her.

"How'd you know?"

"Besides the fact that your face has been plastered all over the tabloids?" He grinned. "You look as uncomfortable as I feel." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Henry, but you can call me Gloss. I'm Madge's boyfriend."

Katniss shook his hand. "Madge has a boyfriend?" Somehow, this made the whole process a little more bearable. At least she wasn't alone.

"She does," he confirmed, glancing at the set. "Oh good. Peeta Mellark is unzipping my girlfriend's dress. How the hell did I let her talk me into this?"

Katniss winced, and despite her brain screaming at her not to look, her gaze slid over to the set. Madge was sitting on the dresser, clad in a black lacy bra, her dress pooled in her lap. Peeta stood between her legs. At some point, he had lost his shirt as well.

"Talk you into coming to watch?" Katniss asked, quickly turning back.

Gloss nodded as he swiped a carrot stick and took a bite. "This is what I get for being supportive."

He studied the table for a minute. His face lit up, and he pulled out his cell phone.

"Would you mind taking a picture of me?" he asked.

"Uh, sure."

Gloss unlocked his phone with his thumbprint and handed it over. "Wait a second." He grabbed several pieces of celery and carrot sticks and shoved them into his mouth. "Okay," he mumbled through the food and smiled.

Puzzled but not wanting to ask, Katniss held up the phone and took his picture. She handed his phone back as he chewed and swallowed.

"Perfect!" He stood next to Katniss, so she could see the screen. He pulled up Instagram and uploaded the photo. "How does this sound? 'Stuffing my face while my gf gets to make-out with the super hot Peeta Mellark. #thisisthelife #nobigdeal #killmenow.'"

"That sounds…funny?" She was pretty sure that was what he was going for.

"You want to be in a picture too?" he asked. "We can commiserate together."

Katniss stepped away as if the camera was already on her. "No thanks. I'm not a big fan of social media right now."

Gloss shrugged. "Suit yourself." He tapped a few more on screen buttons before shoving his phone back in his pocket.

"So, Gloss, what do you do?"

"I model, but I'm trying to break into acting. I've had a few small roles here and there."

"Suddenly, your nickname makes a lot more sense."

"Yeah, I've actually been called that since I was a kid. Something about being overly photogenic."

"Modest too," she quipped.

"I can't help it that the camera loves me," he said with a grin. He posed for an invisible camera, sucking in his checks and pursing his lips.

Katniss stifled a laugh. She had just successfully forgotten what was happening behind her when she heard someone yell, "Cut! Take ten everyone."

"Good, it's time for them to put their clothes back on. I'm sure I'll see you soon," Gloss said.

Katniss turned just in time to see Peeta's gaze land on her. His entire face lit up. He pulled on his collared shirt and jogged over to her without bothering to button it.

"You made it!" He pulled her into a hug. When he tried to kiss her, she gently pushed him away.

"Her lipstick is still on your face," Katniss said. She didn't mention the sweet, flowery scent on his skin. She'd make him shower later.

"Shit," he mumbled, wiping his mouth was his hand. "Follow me." He led her down a back hallway and into a dressing room. "I'll be right back."

When he reappeared two minutes later, his mouth had returned to a normal color and his breath smelled minty fresh.

"I'm glad you're here," he whispered before slanting his mouth against hers. Usually, his kiss made her forget everything but the two of them, but today she couldn't help but think that not five minutes ago, he had had his tongue inside another woman's mouth.

She pushed him away.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Really?" she said. "You don't find this weird at all?"

"I'm sorry. I just…I wanted to remind you that this is real. You and me. Not what's going on in front of the cameras out there. That's…Hollywood. That's make-believe."

"I know," she insisted. "But it's still weird. I can stay and watch if you want, but I can't just flip the switch like you can."

"I guess maybe I'm forcing it. This is new territory for me too." He held out his arms, and reluctantly, she stepped into them. He pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm glad you're here though. This morning was so weird."

The image of Peeta and Madge laughing together as they held each other close entered her mind, but she didn't say anything. No matter what she saw, she didn't know what was going on in Peeta's head.

"It felt like I was sneaking around behind your back. Like I was doing something wrong," Peeta said.

"I can't stay the whole time," Katniss blurted out. She hated herself in that moment, but she doubted she'd survive the rest of the afternoon. There was a bed on set, and she was fairly certain Peeta and Madge would eventually be using it. "I was hoping to go for a run before dinner tonight. Maybe take in some of the sights."

"Of course." His voice sounded smaller, but he gave little else away. "Stay until lunch. Then we can eat together before you go."

"That sounds good," she said.

"Can I just…" He trailed off and pressed a kiss to her forehead without waiting for permission.

Her eyes fell shut and she sucked in a breath. For the first time since he had sat across from her and told her he knew all her secrets, she didn't want to be touched by him. She felt like the other woman, stealing kisses just out of sight.

"You should get back to set," she said. "You don't want to keep them waiting."

"Right." He took a step backward, his fingers trailing down her arm until he reached her hand. He squeezed, but for once, it didn't feel reassuring.

* * *

Two hours later, Katniss took a picture of Gloss pretending to take a nap in one of the folding chairs.

"'Do sex scenes always take this long? Getting hella bored watching my gf get it on. #weirdaf #longaf #sendmorefood,'" Gloss recited as he typed.

Katniss rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "It's almost lunch. You won't starve for much longer." Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the director chatting with Madge and Peeta. Peeta looked completely focused, absorbing whatever notes the director was giving him. Madge looked bored.

A moment later, everyone broke for lunch.

"Good news," Peeta announced as soon as he was by her side. "They're cutting the love scene."

Katniss was tempted to ask what the hell she had just watched them film for two hours. There had certainly had been a lot of kissing and groping.

"You're not using the bed?" she asked.

"Nope. Madge wakes up by herself. I'm not getting in it."

"You dog," Katniss said. "So you're that type of music video love interest."

"Love 'em and leave 'em. That's my life motto."

She poked his side. "Obviously."

While she had watched Madge and Peeta make out over every square inch in that bedroom, neither one had gone toward the bed. She should have been relieved, but instead she just felt tired.

"Why the cut?" she asked.

"Madge's people are worried it'll be conceived as too risqué even if we fade to black. They want to toe the line between sexy and raunchy."

Peeta held out his hand, and Katniss grabbed it, falling into step beside him.

"So what are you filming this afternoon?"

"We're supposed to each be on blind dates with other people. We meet, we flirt, we go home together."

"And that's it?"

"I'm on the schedule tomorrow. Supposed to film our reunion. Then that's it. My part's done."

They paused in front of the lunch spread. Katniss's stomach rumbled, and Peeta grabbed her a plate.

"Do you need me to come tomorrow?" she asked. Tomorrow's shoot didn't sound so bad. She could put up with a bit of eye fucking across a restaurant.

"Actually, I'm scheduled for the recording studio with the guys in the afternoon. I thought maybe you could do your own thing in the morning and then join us at the studio?"

Katniss instantly brightened. "That sounds perfect."

* * *

Katniss really had intended on going for a run. She had even looked up the ten best trails around Los Angeles. But as soon as she stepped into Peeta's house, she couldn't find the energy to change into a pair of leggings. Suddenly, all she wanted to do was take a nap.

It was possible she was just tired, or it was possible that Peeta's shoot had taken more of a toll than she originally thought. Instead of lying down, she pulled her out her cell phone.

"Hey!" Annie chirped. "How's LA?"

"It's good. It's great. I just spent the morning watching my boyfriend make out with another woman."

"Either I have to kill him, or you're not giving me the whole story. Lay some context on me," Annie said.

Katniss smiled, already feeling some of the tension of the morning disappear. "He's shooting a music video with Madge Undersee."

"Madge Undersee?" Annie's asked, her voice unusually high-pitched. "That's awesome! She's so...not talented. At all. And so pale. She looks like a ghost, I swear."

Katniss sank into the sofa in Peeta's inordinately large living room. The dark screen of a huge television stared back at her. "Thanks, Annie. But it's not her fault. Or it is. I think she specifically requested Peeta. But I guess this is part of his job."

"Why'd you go and watch? That sounds like a terrible idea."

"Peeta asked me to."

Annie scoffed. "Is he insane?"

"He said it made him feel more comfortable to have me there."

"Hmm," Annie hummed. "Sounds selfish to me."

"He wasn't being selfish!" Katniss kicked off her shoes and pulled her legs up underneath her. "He just said that he felt more comfortable with me being there. He said he would have felt like a cheater without me watching."

"Um, that's the very definition of selfish. He asked you to do something that would make him feel better at the expense of your own feelings. It sounds like he got to make out with a pop star while his girlfriend's presence absolved him of any guilt."

Katniss frowned. When Annie put it that way, it did sound pretty shitty. "Should I be mad?"

"Only if you want to be. He screwed up, but it's not like he did anything majorly wrong. He was just a little thoughtless. Talk to him. Tell him how it made you feel. Then move forward."

"So basically...communicate with him? Be honest?"

Annie laughed. "I know it's weird, but I hear open, honest communication is all the rage these days."

"Thanks, Annie. I really appreciate it."

"No problem."

Katniss bit her lip. She could have made a little more small talk and then ended the call, but she had to ask, "How's Prim doing?"

"She's...okay."

"Define okay," Katniss prompted.

"Moody. I tried to get her to talk, but she's been quiet. We eat dinner together. I make sure she does her homework. And that's the extent of our interaction."

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what's gotten into her."

"I'll try to get something out of her. Sorry I can't be of more help."

Katniss wanted to laugh. "Annie, you're amazing. All you've done is help. _Thank you_."

"No problem. Now go do something productive, wash those images from your mind."

"Thanks. I'll talk to you soon."

* * *

Dinner that night was at a much more upscale restaurant. The entrees were double the price, and burgers hadn't made the menu.

Luckily, Katniss didn't feel _too_ overwhelmed. Peeta had warned her ahead of time to wear her green dress, and he had complimented her without prompting at least three times since she had put it on.

"How was the shoot today?" Delly asked after the waiter took everyone's orders.

"Fine," Peeta answered tersely.

"Fine? That's all you're going to say?" Thom asked. "You got to make-out with one of the hottest women in Holly—" Thom cut himself off as soon as he saw Peeta's face. "You know what? I'm going to stop talking at these dinners. From now on, I'll just nod or shake my head. Maybe hold up a sign or something."

"It's okay," Katniss said. "It was weird, but it's over now."

"Wait, you went?" Johanna asked.

"It wasn't so bad," Katniss said. "I hung out with Madge's boyfriend."

"Gloss?" Delly asked with a roll of her eyes. "I've been on a couple of shoots with him. He's pretty self-involved. Kind of a dick."

"I thought he was nice," Katniss said. "He kept asking me to take ridiculous pictures of himself."

Delly took a sip of her water. "Yeah, he's completely obsessed with his Instagram. He's constantly posting on it."

"Were you in any?" Peeta asked.

"No. You know how I feel about social media," Katniss answered. "Anyway, I thought he was funny. He certainly made the experience bearable."

"What do you mean bearable?" Peeta asked.

"Well, it was weird," she repeated. "It was nice being with someone else in the same situation."

"Is that what you two were laughing about the whole time?" Peeta asked, his jaw tight. "The situation?"

Katniss glared at him. "I'm surprised you came up for air long enough to notice."

Peeta flinched and looked down at his lap. She immediately regretted what she had said, but his tone of voice had pissed her off. There was an accusation laced in his words, as if she had somehow done something wrong by trying to make a shitty situation bearable.

She opened her mouth to apologize, but Delly spoke first.

"Geez, Katniss, you don't have to be such a bitch about it. You didn't have to go and watch."

Katniss sucked in a breath. Even Johanna looked a little horrified.

"Don't call her that," Peeta snapped. "She only went because I asked her to."

"Excuse me," Katniss said. "I need to use the bathroom."

Her chair squeaked loudly against the floor as she stood.

Once inside the bathroom, she didn't do more than stand in front of one of the mirrors and stare down at the sink. She didn't know why she was getting so upset. The morning was over, done with. Peeta had one day left on the shoot, and then she wouldn't have to think about it again.

The bathroom door suddenly flew open.

"Oh thank god, you're not crying," Johanna said, heading toward her.

"What?"

"Well, when you got up, everyone looked at me, like I should be the one to go after you. I mean, obviously Thom and Peeta couldn't come in here. And Delly couldn't very well say anything after acting like an idiot, so that left me." She twirled her finger in the air. "Whoop-dee-doo."

The door opened again, and a short, dark-haired woman with a gleeful expression entered.

"Excuse me? Are you – are you Johanna Mason?" she asked.

Johanna shot Katniss a 'can-you-believe-this-bullshit' look and turned around. "Please don't tell me you recognized me and followed me into the bathroom."

"Um, well...I was just hoping for an autograph or a—"

"Can you not see I'm talking to my friend here?" Johanna snapped.

"I'm sorry. Maybe just a quick picture? A selfie?"

"How about you fuck off?"

The silence that fell over the bathroom was ear-shattering. Katniss watched the poor woman's face fall and her mouth tremble. Katniss was about to apologize on Johanna's behalf, when the woman began jumping up and down.

"Oh my god! Johanna Mason just told me to fuck off! No one is ever going to believe this!" She practically floated out of the restroom.

Johanna rolled her eyes.

"Did that really just happen?" Katniss asked.

"I have a certain reputation," Johanna said. "I can get away with shit like that. Just last week, I kicked some guy in the balls and he proposed to me afterward."

"Did you say yes?"

"You know, Brainless, I don't like you. I don't like anyone, actually. But I can definitely tolerate your existence."

Katniss leaned back against the counter. "Wow. I'm flattered."

"Look, try not to hold Delly's comment against her. She's so far up Peeta's ass, she'll lash out at the smallest perceived threat."

Katniss looked down at her feet. Her knuckles were white against the counter. "Is she, uh, interested in him?"

"No, nothing like that. They're practically brother and sister. She might be a little jealous though of you taking up so much of his time. But ultimately, she's sweet. Annoyingly so."

"Thanks. I appreciate you coming in after me like this."

"Yeah, well, it was either this or get glared at until you came back. Those idiots can be a bunch of assholes."

Johanna headed toward the door. "So? You coming back now?"

Katniss nodded. "Since you insisted."

* * *

Thom, true to his word, didn't say a single word for the rest of dinner. Delly apologized profusely for her earlier comment. Peeta just stared at his food. Luckily, Johanna took the lead and chatted about her next role in some indie horror flick. Apparently, she would be avenging her best friend's death and using an axe to do it.

Once dinner was over and Peeta paid - again - and no one thanked him - again - he and Katniss headed home. The drive was silent, heavy with unsaid words.

They made it to the living room before Peeta finally spoke. "I have another early morning. Maybe I should head to bed."

"It's only ten," Katniss pointed out, trying to ignore the stab of sadness in her chest.

"Yeah, but it's been a long day, and I've got another long day tomorrow."

Katniss set her purse on the coffee table. "Okay. I'll be right in."

"No, it's fine if you want to stay up. You don't have anywhere to be tomorrow morning. You can watch a movie in the theater if you want. Netflix is set up in there."

"Oh. Okay, sure. Thanks."

Peeta disappeared upstairs. Katniss sank onto the couch, not in the mood to watch a movie let alone figure how the room worked. A few minutes later, the shower switched on.

The exhaustion from earlier in the day came swooping back, but she knew it had nothing to do with lack of sleep. She was supposed to talk to Peeta, tell him how she felt. Instead she had allowed a rift to form between them, and it was growing with every second. She feared how large it would become if she didn't speak to him before bed.

It was hard to get the image of him pressed up against Madge out of her head. But then she remembered how focused he'd been when talking to the director. He hadn't done anything wrong. He hadn't done anything other than his job. His only fault was asking her to come and watch.

She hurried up the stairs and into the bedroom. The shower was still running. Quickly, she took off her clothes and slipped into the bathroom.

"Peeta?"

He yanked the shower curtain back. His eyes grew wide as soon as he spotted her.

"Room for one more?" she asked.

He held out his hand, and he helped her step into the shower. Before he could say a word, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. He slid his tongue into her mouth, and she sucked on it eagerly.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry about today."

The image of him and Madge slammed back into her head, but she banished it just as quickly. "Not now," she said, in between kisses. "Talk about it later."

He spun her around and pressed her up against the shower wall. One hand massaged her breast while the other landed between her legs. She moaned as he quickly found her clit. His fingers spun frantic circles as she pushed her ass against him, rubbing against his erection.

"Fuck," he breathed. His hand moved faster, until finally the tension within her snapped, and she cried out his name. In the next second, his hands were on her hips, pulling her backward, until finally he was inside her.

His thrusts were hard, fast. She begged him for more even as he slammed into her. At the last second, he pulled out, his come spilling down her ass and eventually down the drain.

"Now we talk?" she asked, breathless.

He trailed kisses down the back of her neck. "Now we talk."

* * *

They curled up together beneath his sheets, and Katniss told him everything: her discomfort with watching, her struggle to accept that it was his job, her reluctance to touch him. The latter, at least, was no longer an issue.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to come," he said.

"I know why you did, but yeah...it was really uncomfortable."

"Thank you for understanding," he said. "You handled it way better than I would have. The way I did," he amended.

She inched closer and pressed a kiss to his chin. "What do you mean?"

"That comment I made about you and Gloss." He looked down at her. Making out his expression was difficult in the dark, but she could hear the regret in his words. "I was so uncomfortable with what I was doing, I tried to make you think you were doing something wrong. I'm sorry."

"It's already forgotten," she whispered.

* * *

The next afternoon, Katniss somehow reached the studio before the boys. Haymitch and a producer named Castor were the only ones there.

After introductions, Castor showed her the mixing board and gave her a brief explanation of the tools he used. A few minutes later, Peeta showed up, his hair damp and curled around his ears from a recent shower.

"Hey." He kissed her cheek "You're the first one here?"

"Yeah. Is everything okay?" she asked. There was something off about his expression, his smile. He wouldn't meet her eyes.

"It's fine. We'll talk later."

Katniss frowned at that declaration, but she didn't have time to press him because a second later, Finnick, Gale, and Darius walked in. Gale grumbled something under his breath as he walked past her, but she couldn't make it out. Frustration was radiating off him. Haymitch must have finally clued the rest of the guys in on Peeta's work with Madge.

Peeta walked over to her and asked quietly, "Do me a favor? We're trying out a new songwriter. I was hoping to get your honest opinion."

"Sure," she said. "I'll be right outside listening."

Castor hit a few switches, and music poured out of the speakers. Haymitch nodded and pointed at Finnick.

He sang:

"I've got a fire for a heart, I'm not scared of the dark.

You've never seen it look so easy.

I got a river for a soul, and baby you're a boat,

Baby you're my only reason."

Peeta's voice cut in, rich and powerful:

"If I didn't have you there would be nothing left.

The shell of a man who never be his best.

If I didn't have you, I'd never see the sun.

You taught me how to be someone, yeah."

A thrill ran through Katniss as she watched Peeta. He sang with his eyes closed, one hand on the side of his headphones. His entire face lit up, and she could feel the emotion he brought to the lyrics: the hope, the love, the desperation.

She was so wrapped up in watching him, even as he took a step back from his microphone, that she failed to realize that no one jumped in after him.

Castor stopped the music, and Haymitch hit a button before leaning over a microphone. "Uh, Gale? I think you missed your cue."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone would notice if I was here or not," Gale responded, arms crossed.

"Don't start," Haymitch warned.

"Start what? Start pointing out how you're obviously favoring Finnick and Peeta over Darius and me?"

"Hey, I'm not involved with this," Darius said. "I just want to record the single."

"This is bullshit, and you know it, Haymitch. I come to you with a million ideas, and you turn them all down. Peeta writes one song for his damn girlfriend, and suddenly it's the first single for our new album?"

Katniss's gaze cut over to Peeta, but he had already buried his face in his hands.

"And let me guess," Gale said. "Finnick gets the love interest in the music video."

"One, I'll start listening to your ideas when they get better," Haymitch said. "Two, if you want a girl, fine. You can all have love interests in the video. You know the studio will give you whatever you want."

"I'll pass on that," Peeta mumbled into the microphone.

"Oh, that's right," Gale said. "No girl for you unless it's Madge fucking Undersee. Too good for anyone else now?"

"Gale," Finnick snapped. "Seriously?"

"I heard you had a great time today," Gale said. "How many times did the director have to yell cut before you climbed off her?"

Katniss recoiled as if she had been slapped. She looked from Gale to Peeta.

"That's not true," Peeta said. "You're full of shit."

"According to Gloss, you were a little too into that love scene," Gale said. "I'd worry if I were you, Katniss."

"What love scene?" Katniss asked at the same time Peeta threw off his headphones and got into Gale's face.

"You have a problem with me? Fine! But don't you dare play mind games with her," Peeta warned.

"We're taking a break," Haymitch announced. "_Now_."

Finnick, Darius, and Gale filed out of the studio. Finnick whispered something in a harsh tone in Gale's direction as they passed. All three guys avoided her gaze as they left the room.

"We'll be back in ten," Haymitch said. Then, he and Castor left too.

Katniss opened the door to the studio and found Peeta sitting on the ground, his back against the furthermost wall.

"I was waiting until we got home to tell you. I wanted to talk about it privately," he said.

"What happened this morning?" she asked, sitting down beside him.

"Madge insisted on keeping the scene in. I spent most of the morning in bed with her. We shoot the rest tomorrow."

Katniss flinched at the mention of the bed, but she wasn't going to let it hurt her, not like it did yesterday.

"Lucky," she mumbled. "You got paid to spend your morning in bed. Effie never lets me sleep in."

Peeta looked at her, eyebrows raised, as if waiting for the berating to begin.

"It's your job," she said. "I get it. And it's okay. Really. Just please don't ever make me watch the video."

"After tomorrow, I'm pretending it doesn't exist."

"Even better," Katniss said, laying her head on his shoulder. She wondered if she should say more, ask for details, but she was so tired of talking about Madge Undersee. She trusted Peeta. And really, that was all that mattered.

So instead of dragging the topic out, she asked, "What's up with Gale?"

Peeta rubbed the back of his neck before letting his head fall back against the wall. "We're only contractually obligated for one more album. The studio is trying to negotiate a new contract, but it's sort of fallen to me and Finnick about whether we'll move forward. As a band."

"Oh."

"And Finnick doesn't care one way or another. He likes singing, but he's trying to break into acting. He's gotten got a few projects lined up. He's fine with whatever as long as he has time to explore his acting career. So basically it's come down to me."

"And you're not sure about the band?"

He shrugged. "I kind of want to do my own thing. Maybe write my own stuff. Try a different sound."

"Did you really write that song?"

Peeta's cheeks flushed. He stared straight ahead and said, "I wrote it while I was in Saint Lucia. Finnick helped me fix it up before I submitted it. The studio really liked it."

"That's amazing," she said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise. It's for you. I wrote it about you."

Warmth flooded through her, and she wondered why she had bothered wasting so much energy thinking about Madge Undersee. Peeta had written her a _song_. "What's it called?"

"Oh, um, 'Drag Me Down.'"

Katniss shot him a look. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

"No, didn't you hear the lyrics?" He shook his head. "Wait, we never got to the chorus."

"Sing it for me?"

Peeta didn't hesitate. He took a breath and sang,

"All these lights

They can't blind me

With your love, nobody can drag me down."

A shudder ran through Katniss. There was something very intimate about sitting beside Peeta as he sang a song he had written for her. She loved the lyrics, loved the emotion behind it, the message. She pulled him into a kiss.

"I love it," she said.

"Really? You're not just saying that?"

"I think it's amazing. And I could watch you sing all day."

"Well, now it's your turn." He stood up and pulled her to her feet.

"What do you mean 'my turn?'"

"Don't think I forgot about your voice the first time we met. Sing something for me."

"No way! I'm not the pop star here."

With a hand on either shoulder, he positioned her in front of the microphone. He fit the headphones on over her ears.

"Do you remember the words we just sang?"

"Sort of."

He sang the first two verses to her again along with the chorus, and she relaxed. The song was great, and it was just the two of them in there. What was the harm? She did enjoy singing, even if was usually in the shower rather than a multimillion dollar recording studio.

Peeta shut the door, hit a few switches, and the intro to the song flooded through her headphones. A couple of seconds later, he pointed at her, and she opened her mouth.

She sang the words he had written during their brief separation, the words he had written thinking of her. The meaning behind them made her feel confident, powerful. She could hardly believe someone felt this way about her, especially someone so kind, handsome, and talented.

For a moment, there was no doubt about being in LA, no doubt about being the girlfriend of the world-famous Peeta Mellark. No obstacle seemed too daunting. They would figure it out: the financial discrepancies, his work obligations, the long distance. She could see their future stretching out before them: bright and happy, challenging but worth it.

For a moment, everything was clear.

As the song faded out, a voice came over the speaker: "Congratulations, sweetheart." Katniss's eyes popped opened, and she saw Haymitch standing with Castor and Peeta. "You don't completely suck."

Katniss rolled her eyes, gave Haymitch the finger, and the moment was over.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: As always, thanks for reading! A very awesome reader kindly pointed out that Cinna appears earlier in this story as Effie's boyfriend. Whoops! So Castor is now the music producer. Thanks for catching that error! The lyrics in this chapter are from "Castle" by Halsey.

* * *

Katniss woke the next morning to a hand on her shoulder and Peeta softly calling her name. She stretched and yawned, surprised to see him standing over her.

"Aren't you supposed to be on set?" she asked, sitting up. Peeta set a tray of pancakes down in front of her and sat on her other side.

"Haymitch called. I don't need to be there until ten now. But I was already up, so…"

"Breakfast in bed? Yum." She picked up her fork and glanced over at him. "Why are you wearing so much clothing? We're in LA. It's probably eighty degrees outside."

Peeta glanced down at his white v-neck and dark gray sweatpants. "The central air is on."

She waved her fork in his general direction. "Shirt," she commanded.

He laughed and took it off.

"Now if you could just move right over…" She dragged the last syllable out as Peeta crawled in front of her. "There. Perfect."

"Like the view?"

"It's okay." She shrugged. "Breakfast in bed, shirtless boyfriend, another day with no responsibilities. I could think of worse things."

Peeta squeezed her foot. "Food good?"

Katniss mumbled something that sounded like approval through a mouthful of pancake.

"Look, I don't know how to say what I need to say without sounding like an asshole. But here goes," Peeta began.

Katniss swallowed with difficulty, the food suddenly cold and lumpy in her mouth. What could he possibly have to tell her now? Another sex scene with Madge? Perhaps Cashmere Philips would be stopping by, and the director would expand it into a threesome?

"I need you to buy yourself a dress," Peeta said.

Katniss snorted and took another bite. It wasn't quite what she was expecting.

"I want to take you out dancing tonight, and you might not be comfortable in the dress you brought. And I know I'm not allowed to buy you a dress. So…will you buy yourself one? I mean, only if you want. You can wear your green one. I just thought—"

"Peeta, stop." Katniss pressed her hand against his mouth. He licked her palm, and she tore her arm away. "Real mature," she said, wiping her hand on the bedspread. "I get what you're saying. But I don't really dance."

"Come on. Me, the guys, Johanna, and Delly…we're all going out to a club."

"The guys?" she asked. "Does that include Gale?"

"That hopefully includes Gale. I'm going to talk to him today at the studio. Try and clear the air."

"Good. I'm glad. But a club? I'm not really the club-going type. I didn't realize you enjoyed dancing either."

"Enjoy dancing?" Peeta hopped to his feet. He performed a complicated dance move that involved a quick step-ball-change, a spin, and a thrust of his hips. Katniss nearly knocked the tray of food over as she laughed. "I'm an amazing dancer."

"You're okay," she said. "But I'm not sure boy band moves will fit in at the club."

He held out his hand. "I have other moves."

She slipped out from beneath the comforter. He pulled her close, held her hand against his chest, and they began to sway.

"I'm not sure this is appropriate for a club either," she said quietly.

"I can't reveal all my moves just yet." He abruptly spun her out, pulled her back in, and dipped her low.

"I'll give you a six out of ten," she said. "And my pancakes are getting cold."

Peeta pulled her back upright. "You're hard to impress."

"Your cooking impresses me way more," she said, sitting back down on the bed. She shoved another forkful into her mouth. "You already eat?"

"Yeah. While yours were in the pan."

"So…what? Now you just watch me?"

"I don't see how that's any worse than you ogling me shirtless."

She pursed her lips. "You got me there."

"So…" Peeta sat back down at the edge of the bed. "Dress?"

Katniss considered the money she had brought with her. She had used very little of it, and it had been ages since she bought herself a new dress. "I suppose I could purchase one."

"You probably don't want to go shopping with Delly. You want me to see if Jo is busy?"

Katniss shook her head. "Let me shop in peace, please. Your friends are crazy."

"I'm really sorry about Delly."

"It's fine. I talked to Johanna. She explained some things."

"What'd she explain?"

"That you're all assholes."

Peeta scrunched up his face as if considering the statement. "Yeah, I guess that sounds right."

Katniss laughed and took a sip of her orange juice. "So today is really and truly the last day of filming?"

"Yes."

"And your clothes are staying on?"

"Absolutely."

Katniss sat back against the pillows with a soft sigh. "Then today should be a good day."

* * *

Every dress Katniss found was either too tight, too short, too expensive, or a combination of all three. She finally settled on a sleeveless black dress whose conservative neckline made up for its plunging back. Oh well. It was on sale for $40, and with the right cardigan, she could wear it again to a nice restaurant.

After she made her purchase, she enjoyed a quiet lunch before driving over to the studio. Peeta and the guys were supposed to tackle a new song, and Katniss was looking forward to watching them work. The argument yesterday had been brutal, but Gale had managed to keep his temper in check for the rest of the afternoon. The vocals were done for their new single. They just had to wait for Castor to mix it.

As Katniss walked into the building, her cell phone rang. She mouthed an apology at the woman behind the desk in the lobby and scurried a few steps ahead before answering.

"Hi, Annie!" Katniss greeted quietly.

"Uh, something really weird just happened," Annie said.

"Is Prim okay?"

"Yeah, Prim's fine. It's just…I went to drop off our rent check, but the landlord wouldn't take it."

Katniss stopped outside the door to the studio. "What the hell? My check bounced _once_ and that was back in February. He's been fine with my checks since then."

"It's not your check. He said our rent's been paid for the next six months."

"_What_?" Katniss's mind immediately flickered to Peeta, to those ridiculous Tiffany sunglasses, to his credit card shoved in her back pocket. "I have to go."

"Did Peeta do this?"

"I'll take care of it," Katniss said.

She opened the door and was immediately met with the sound of District*4's new single "Drag Me Down." There was something different about it though. She looked from Castor to Haymitch before her gaze finally landed on Peeta.

Then, she realized why the song sounded so strange. Her vocals were mixed in with the group's.

"What the hell?" she asked.

"You're just in time!" Haymitch said. "Castor, put on the other track. The one with just her and Peeta."

The song cut off abruptly before being replaced by the sound of her and Peeta singing the chorus together.

"I barely touched up your vocals," Castor said to Katniss. "You have an amazing voice."

"Castor's right. Play the one with just her," Haymitch said. "I think we've really got something here. Your personality leaves a little to be desired, but you've got talent. I can work with this."

As her voice flooded through the room, Katniss found herself so angry, she was on the verge of tears. Hands balled at her sides, she turned to Peeta.

"I don't _want_ to be worked on," Katniss snapped. "Is this you? Again?" she demanded.

Peeta held his hands out in front of him. "I had nothing to do with this."

"Really? You didn't make me record the song yesterday so you could show Haymitch? So you could all work on me some more?"

"Katniss, I—"

"I don't _need_ to be fixed. I'm fine just the way I am."

"Where is this coming from? Is this about the dress because—"

"This isn't about buying a dress, Peeta. This is about you forcing your money on me over and over like I'm some kind of charity case."

"Don't say that. That's not how I see you. You know how I see you."

"You paid my rent?" she demanded. "Are you kidding me?"

Peeta flinched and looked away.

"I'm tired of this," she said. "I'm tired of having the same fight over and over again."

She turned to leave. Haymitch reached the door first and slammed it shut as soon as she opened it.

"Look, I don't know what this blowup is about, but Peeta didn't have anything to do with the song. I had Castor work his magic. I knew you had talent the second I heard you sing the first time we met."

"Great, but I'm not interested in being a pop star."

Haymitch laughed. And laughed. He actually bent over and stifled a snort. "Oh that's a good one. You a pop star? You've got a nice voice. But you're more of a Melanie Martinez than a Katy Perry."

"I appreciate the compliment, but I have no interest in this kind of life."

"And why not? You and Peeta would be on equal footing. You'd have enough money to take care of your sister. You wouldn't be stuck at some shitty job you hate."

"Oh thank you. I'm so glad you have such a solid grasp on the state of my life." Katniss ripped the door open, causing Haymitch to stumble backward. "You read one background check, and you think you know me. Are you trying to rescue me from my own life too?"

"No, I'm trying to offer you the opportunity of a lifetime, but you're too busy being an ungrateful brat to notice."

"Fuck off, Haymitch."

She blew past him. She was halfway down the hall when she heard the door slam shut followed by Peeta shouting her name.

"I really just need some space right now," she said.

"No, you're always walking away from me. We're going to talk about this."

"That's the problem though. We've talked about this. Over and over again. But you just ignore me and do whatever you want anyway."

Peeta glanced at the woman behind the desk who - to her credit - was trying very hard to look like she wasn't listening. He grabbed Katniss's hand and led her into an empty studio.

"You told me you're living paycheck to paycheck," Peeta said. "You have barely any money to put aside for Prim's college savings account let alone a new apartment. Aren't you tired of sleeping on the couch?"

"Of course I'm sick of sleeping on a couch! Of course I'm sick of choosing between Prim's college account and basic necessities! I confided in you because you're my boyfriend _not _because I was looking for a handout."

"I'm not trying to give you a handout. I'm trying to _help _you. There's a difference."

"But there's not. You think throwing money at me will solve all my problems, but guess what? You're just making things worse." She tried to walk around him but he moved with her, blocking her exit.

"But why? Why can't you accept my help? What is the point of having all this goddamn money if I can't use it to help the people I love?"

She didn't have an answer to that. While she understood the point he was trying to make, it didn't help alleviate her humiliation. "I can't take your money. And the more you offer it, the worse I feel. I'm not like your friends."

Peeta's jaw clenched. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Seriously? Do you always pay for them when we go out? Are you going to pay their cover tonight at the club? Buy them all drinks?"

"I can spend my money however I want."

"Do they ever pay for themselves?" she demanded. "Do they ever even thank you?"

"You just don't get it."

"Get what? That your friends are a bunch of freeloaders?"

Peeta ran a hand through his hair, flattening it. "You're here for a week, and you think you're an expert on my friends when you barely understand the concept of friendship."

Her eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"You think everyone has a hidden agenda. That no one would possibly do anything for another human being out of kindness. You think everyone is looking out for themselves."

"I do _not_ think that."

"I can afford to take my friends out. Why should I make them pay when I make more money in a month than they will in a couple of years? It's called being nice, Katniss. It's called being a friend. You can do something for other people without expecting something in return. Relationships are not a series of debts repaid."

"No, apparently, they're about using whichever friend has the most money."

"I can't talk to you about this right now. I have a job to do."

"Oh yeah, another stellar example of friendship," Katniss snapped. "Where you do singles and music videos behind your friends' backs."

"You just don't understand."

"Of course I don't," she said. "I'm just a simple girl from Connecticut, blinded by the starry lights of LA. Well, I can assure you, I'm starting to see things very clearly."

She tried to sweep past him, but he grabbed her arm, said her name. They studied each other for a moment. Already he appeared softer, apologetic, but she wasn't in the mood for pretty words. A smile and a soft kiss wouldn't cure her of her anger. He had insulted her, humiliated her, made her once again feel as if she didn't belong.

"Will I see you at home?" he asked.

She yanked her arm away and stormed out without an answer.

* * *

As soon as Katniss reached Peeta's house, she dug out her suitcase and began to pack the few belongings she had brought with her. She had her return ticket stashed away in her nightstand table. Maybe it wouldn't cost too much money to change her flight. She'd take any time as long as it was soon.

Her phone rang. Ignoring it was tempting. She pulled it out of her pocket for a quick glance, surprised to see Prim's picture lighting up the screen. She swallowed her anger and frustration and took a deep breath.

"Prim!" Katniss greeted. "I'm so glad you called!"

"Yeah, well, you haven't called me."

Katniss flinched. She hadn't reached out since arriving in LA, but she honestly didn't think Prim wanted to hear from her. She had hoped a little distance would do them some good.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't sure you wanted to talk. We didn't leave on the best note."

"I always want to talk to you," Prim said in a small voice.

"I'm so sorry. I've been thinking about you. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine."

"Things at school? Glimmer and Clove finally leave you alone?"

There was a long pause on the other end. Finally, Prim said, "Mostly. Just a few dirty looks and sarcastic comments now and then."

Katniss bit her lip. Figuring out if Prim was lying was much more difficult over the phone. "Good. But if they do anything more, anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, you tell me. I don't want school being a miserable place for you."

"I know."

Another silence stretched between them, and it pained Katniss that neither one had something to immediately say. Especially after a few days apart, each should have been teeming with stories to share. But Katniss didn't want to clue Prim into the problems she was currently having with Peeta. And it suddenly became difficult to remember the good moments from the past few days. Too much anger and anxiety hung over her trip.

"Are you being good for Annie?" Katniss immediately regretted the childish question. Prim was fifteen, not five.

"Yes, I'm being good. I actually called to ask you something."

Katniss's stomach twisted, but she refused to let her mind jump to the worst possible conclusion.

"Sure," Katniss said.

"Grandma called. She wanted to see if I'd like to spend a few days with her. She said she'd drive me to school and everything."

"Wow, is it Christmas already?"

Katniss's joke was met with silence, which was a surprise. Their grandparents had been set on becoming Prim's legal guardians after Mrs. Everdeen died. When Prim expressed a preference for Katniss, they pulled back and let Katniss take on the role. Katniss had expected they'd be more active in their lives, or at least Prim's life, but for the most part, they saved their phone calls and invitations for the major holidays.

"Of course you can. If that's what you want. I thought you were enjoying spending time with Annie."

"Annie has her own life. She doesn't want to be stuck watching me."

"Prim," Katniss began, struck by the vehemence in her sister's voice. "You know she doesn't mind."

"Sure she doesn't."

"Did something happen?" Katniss asked, unable to imagine Annie doing or saying something to upset Prim.

"No, nothing happened. I'm just not stupid."

"Prim, Annie loves you. You're like her little sister. But if you want to go with our grandparents for a few days, that's fine."

"Thanks. I gotta go call Gram back."

"Okay. Have fun. Please call me if you need anything. Or just to say hi."

"I will." But Prim's voice was rushed and far away. She was already pulling away to end the call.

"I love you," Katniss told the dial tone.

She fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She considered calling Annie. Then it occurred to her that Annie was the only one she could turn to. Prim was pulling away. She and Peeta were in a fight. Annie was her best friend, but in many ways, she was also her only friend.

Maybe Peeta was right. Maybe she didn't understand friendship or relationships at all. Look at her track record. Katniss still felt as if she owed Annie a great debt for breaking her lease to move in with her and Prim. Her relationship with Cato had been a giant disaster.

What the hell did she know? She certainly didn't have a clue as to how to behave in LA.

But leaving wasn't going to help.

Now that her initial anger had cooled off, she recognized how foolish packing up her things was. Slowly, she returned her clothes to the dresser she shared with Peeta. She put her toiletries back in his bathroom. As she moved around the room, she once again took in all the pictures he had of him and his friends. There wasn't a single photo of his family though. No mother or father. Neither one of his brothers.

These people were his family. And slowly, things started to make sense.

In the middle of zipping her luggage closed, footsteps sounded on the stairs.

She had just gotten her suitcase on the ground when Peeta burst in.

"Don't leave," he said.

"Peeta."

"You're always leaving. Please don't go this time."

"Here," she said, rolling it over to him. "It's empty. See?" She handed him the suitcase, and he picked it up, jiggling it from side to side.

"You're not going?"

"Not for another couple of days," she said.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Shouldn't you be at the studio?" she asked.

"I left early. I couldn't focus. They can record me later."

"I don't want to be that person," she said. "The kind you have to choose over your work. I understand why you couldn't leave, even if we were furious at each other."

"Well, I don't want to be the kind of person who lets work get in the way of the most important thing in his life."

"Peeta…" She couldn't help it. She kissed him, softly, eagerly, an arm wrapped around his neck. "I'm sorry about what I said."

"I'm sorry about what I said and what I did. I'm trying, I really am, to understand where you're coming from."

She nodded before slipping away and sitting on the bed. He sat beside her. "If I can't give you money, if I can't help you out of a shitty situation, then what can I offer?" he asked quietly. "What can I give you?"

At first she thought he was still referring to her current living situation, but it slowly dawned on her that he meant in general.

"What are you talking about? Peeta, you've given me everything. You—" She stopped then. All the pieces she had been gathering about Peeta's personal life suddenly clicked into place. And she understood. "You know I'm not with you because of your money."

"I know." His answer was quick, his voice assured. It left no room for doubt.

"You know you have a lot more to offer than your money. Right?"

"I know." This time, he sounded less sure. He sounded smaller. Younger.

"Peeta, I'm serious." She hiked a leg up on the bed and turned so she could face him. "You're more than your money and your fame."

He looked down at his lap but didn't say a word.

"Wow," she said. "She did a real number on you."

"Who?"

"Your mother."

She thought of Peeta as a kid, trying but always failing to win his mother's love and approval. Then, he grew up and she threatened to sell out his childhood unless he paid her a monthly allowance. Finally, he was worth something to her.

A paycheck.

"She's not – this isn't about her," he insisted weakly.

"Is that why you always pay for your friends? You know they love you, right? Delly was ready to jump down my throat for one rude comment."

Peeta remained quiet. She grabbed his hands and pulled them into her lap.

"I love you," she said. "Because you're kind and funny and thoughtful. And you're pretty easy on the eyes."

He shook his head with a small smile, but she put a hand on his cheek, so he couldn't look away.

"You're more than just your money and your career."

He stared at her for a long moment. Several emotions flashed across his face before he schooled his features.

"Please accept the money," he said. "Take whatever you pay for rent and put it toward Prim's college. Or a new apartment. Please."

"I don't need you to take care of me," she said.

"But I want to. You take such good care of me."

She wrapped her arms around him, and he pulled her onto his lap.

"I won't do it again. I promise," he mumbled into her hair.

"I'm not used to people trying to do so much for me," she said. "I've been taking care of my family since my dad died."

"Please just think about it. Okay? I hate the idea of you struggling to hold onto your apartment while I live in this huge house."

"Your stupid house has five bedrooms and _four _bathrooms." Katniss shook her head. "It's disgusting the way you live."

He pressed his forehead against hers, a smile playing at his lips. "So we're okay?"

"As long as we never again have to have a conversation about why it's inappropriate for you to spend thousands of dollars on me, we should be good." She paused and took a deep breath. "And I'll think about it."

"You will?" His whole face changed. She was tempted to tell him yes, she would take the money, only to ensure he remained this happy. But she had to think about it first. It was one thing to let him pay her airfare and buy her dinner every night. This was something else entirely. Even if he insisted she didn't owe him anything, she would feel indebted to him, and that wasn't a healthy feeling to have in a relationship.

"Yeah. Just give me some time."

"Take all the time you need." He cupped her cheek, and she leaned into him. "I'm so sorry about what I said. About you not understanding relationships."

"You were right though," she answered. "I don't have a lot of experience with friends or boyfriends. It's hard to let people in."

"Thanks for letting me in," he said softly. "Please don't judge my friends too harshly. The thing is, I do always pay for dinner. They used to thank me all the time, offer me extra money for tips, offer to return the favor. I told them they didn't need to. Eventually they just got comfortable with me paying. And I like it that way."

"But you know they love you anyway, right? They're not going to abandon you if you suddenly cut the cash flow."

"I know. And that's what makes it okay," he said. "They're there for me in other ways."

"But you need to remember that your value doesn't lay in your credit card. I know you're there for them too. You're always there for me."

He pushed her back on the bed and pressed a lingering kiss to her mouth.

"Besides," she mumbled. "We both know your most valuable attribute is your pancake-making skills."

He laughed against her neck, and the last of her anger disappeared.

* * *

Katniss kept a death grip on Peeta's arm as she teetered toward the back door of the club in the heels Delly insisted she borrow. While they matched her dress better than her flats did, she couldn't imagine being able to move very well on the dance floor. At least they would give her an excuse to sit and nurse a drink rather than dance.

"Hey, Peeta," Gale greeted them from where he leaned back against the building. "Hi, Katniss. The guys are already inside. I wanted to apologize before you went in."

With a bit of a wobble, Katniss managed to come to a stop beside Peeta.

"I'm sorry for everything I said about the music video," Gale continued. "I made it all up. Peeta's a...he's a really good guy. And I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you."

"Thanks," Katniss said.

"Yeah, man. Next time just punch me," Peeta said.

Gale smiled. "I'm going to remember that." He turned to go in, but Peeta tapped his back.

"Wait. It's my turn. I'm sorry too," Peeta said. "I should have told you about the single I recorded with Madge. I should have ran it by you guys before I even did it."

"But Haymitch said not to?"

"Yeah, but we almost never listen to what Haymitch says. I should have been upfront about it. No excuses."

"Thanks, man."

Katniss watched them perform one of those strange one-handed, back-thumping hugs.

Peeta helped Katniss up the two steps leading into the back door. They were immediately assaulted by a thumping bass, although it was slightly muffled by distance. As an employee led them down the hall, past the restrooms, and into the club, the music grew louder and louder.

As soon as they reached the dance floor, Katniss knew talking would be impossible. Also, it was very likely that her hearing would be irrevocably damaged after ten minutes inside. She pointed at the crowded bar, but Peeta shook his head. He led her over to the VIP section where Delly, Finnick, and Darius were waiting. A waitress appeared at their side seconds later, and Peeta ordered a round of shots.

As they settled in on the leather couch, Katniss noticed many of the clubgoers openly staring at Peeta and the rest of the group. Some people were even posing for selfies in front of the VIP section in order to catch the guys in the background. Katniss had to roll her eyes at their lack of subtlety. However, the guys either didn't notice or didn't care.

Johanna showed up a few minutes later and draped herself across the couch facing them. The waitress returned and set down a tray of shots.

"I'm stealing yours," Jo said to Darius when she realized they hadn't ordered her one. He shrugged as the rest of them downed their shots. Katniss had no idea what she had just swallowed, but it burned a trail down her throat. It was a strange sensation, but not entirely unpleasant.

"You want another?" Peeta shouted over the din of the music. Katniss nodded.

Three shots later - four counting the first - Peeta had Katniss out on the dance floor. She felt hot and flushed, but stupidly happy. Peeta's hands were on her, his mouth was close to her ear. Every time she tripped on her heels, Peeta stopped her from falling by pulling her close.

She spun around, pressed her back against his chest, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She wiggled her ass against him, and he groaned in her ear. Everything seemed like a good idea right now, from making him as hard as possible on the dance floor to dragging him into the bathroom and locking the door.

They had already had sex once that night, shortly after Katniss had put on her new dress. Peeta had marveled at her back, at the amount of exposed skin. He had taken her hand, twirled her around, and told her how beautiful she looked right before he had picked her up and sat her on his dresser.

She thought about it now: the expression on his face as he unbuckled his belt, his hands against her thighs as he pushed up her dress...

"How long could we disappear for before they missed us?" she yelled into his ear.

"At least ten minutes."

"Then let's go to your car."

He grinned and grabbed her hand, leading her back through the hallways they had come through earlier. As soon as they burst into the cool night air, Peeta had her pressed against the door, his hand cupping her ass.

"We should probably get to your car first," Katniss said in between kisses, although she didn't put up much of a fight.

"Right. Car. On it," he mumbled.

Their kiss lasted another heated minute before Peeta finally took her hand and led her around the corner.

Right into an explosion of lights.

They came to such an abrupt stop that Katniss tripped on her heels and fell sideways. Peeta quickly yanked her back. He grabbed her hip and spun her around, so she was facing him.

"Thanks," she said.

Lights continue to flash behind her as the paparazzi yelled question after question. She heard Madge's name, Cashmere's name, her own name. But it all quieted as she looked up at Peeta, his hands still at her sides.

She leaned forward and kissed him. He immediately pulled away.

"You sure you want that on camera?" he asked.

"Let them see who you're really dating," she said. "I don't want there to be any doubt."

So he kissed her in the middle of the sidewalk in LA, the paparazzi furiously taking pictures, whistling, making catcalls.

She noticed nothing but the feel of Peeta's lips on hers, and his hand lost in her hair.

* * *

"Do you two need a fucking sitter?" Haymitch demanded.

"Did this really warrant a house call?" Peeta asked. "At eight AM?"

Katniss sat at the top of the stairs, stifling a yawn, as she watched Peeta and Haymitch argue.

"Making out in front of the paps? First, she's a secret, now she's front and center on every gossip website," Haymitch said. "Do you know what they're saying?"

Katniss raised her hand. "I don't care what they're saying. Please don't tell us."

"It's probably for the best," Haymitch said. "Because they're using awfully colorful language to insinuate your girlfriend is a drunk party girl."

"What?" Peeta and Katniss asked at the same time. Katniss trudged down the stairs, already regretting getting out of bed when Haymitch knocked on the door.

"That shot they caught of you falling down? It's not a pretty picture. Literally," Haymitch answered.

"But I didn't fall. Peeta caught me."

"They caught you mid-fall, which is about a thousand times worse."

Katniss dropped onto the couch with a scowl.

"And then there's the fact that she's poor and struggling. They're coming up with all kinds of theories about you two," Haymitch said. "Oh congratulations, by the way! You're pregnant."

Katniss covered her face and let out a muffled scream.

"But at least they're doing this here in LA," Peeta reminded her. "They've left Prim and Annie out of this. Hopefully, once you go home, they won't care anymore."

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Haymitch said. "You're feeding the monster, but this monster rarely gets full. Just...be smarter, okay? It's one thing to be photographed together. It's a whole 'nother thing to give them a god damn show."

"To be fair...we were sort of drunk last night," Peeta said.

Haymitch hit him lightly up the backside of his head. "To be fair, you used to have more common sense."

"Right." Peeta sank down beside Katniss.

"Look, I'm here to bring you to the studio to finish the vocals from yesterday. Katniss, if you're interested, I'd like you to come and sing something else."

Katniss opened her mouth, prepared to laugh in Haymitch's face. But she didn't. Instead, she considered what it would be like to live out here permanently with Peeta. To be a performer in her own right, with her own songs, her own fans, her own money. While fame didn't appeal to her, especially the ugly side that came with it, she did enjoy singing, and she knew she didn't want to be a personal assistant the rest of her life.

So instead of laughing or saying no, she said, "Okay."

Haymitch stared at her. Even Peeta turned to her and said, "Okay?"

"I mean, I'm not ready to sign my life away or anything. But it was fun singing last time. I could do something else. For fun. Just to...to see."

A slow smile took over Peeta's face. "Give us ten minutes, Haymitch. Then we'll be ready."

Haymitch and Castor had Peeta sing the new song over and over and over again. They took a brief break for a late breakfast before making him perform it one more time.

Then, it was Katniss's turn.

She had read through the lyrics several times while Peeta performed. It was a powerful, visceral song. She imagined she was leading a revolution, ready to bring down a powerful king.

She couldn't wait to hear the music.

She couldn't wait to sing it.

Then, she entered the studio, and doubt stole her breath away. What the hell was she thinking? She couldn't just go and record a song. How much money did recording and mixing a song cost? How much to reserve a studio? Of course this wasn't for fun. It couldn't be.

"I changed my mind," she said once she was standing by Peeta.

"You're going to be fine."

"No, I can't do this. This song isn't meant for me."

"It's not for anyone yet. Just...sing it. See what happens."

"But I can't do this," she whispered. "This isn't me. This can't be me."

"I thought the same thing before I recorded my first song. And my second. And my third." He smiled. "You just need to ask yourself: why not you?"

He handed her the headphones, and she took them. She wouldn't overthink this. Not yet. For now, she would listen to the music and sing.

She'd consider the consequences later.

The first few notes flooded the headphones, and she felt that power return to her. She wasn't just Katniss Everdeen, personal assistant, legal guardian, disaster of an adult. She was _Katniss Everdeen_. And she had a voice.

_"Sick of all these people talking, sick of all this noise_

_Tired of all these cameras flashing, sick of being poised_

_Now my neck is open wide, begging for a fist around it_

_Already choking on my pride, so there's no use crying about it_

_I'm headed straight for the castle_

_They wanna make me their queen_

_And there's an old man sitting on the throne that's saying that I probably shouldn't be so mean_

_I'm headed straight for the castle_

_They've got the kingdom locked up_

_And there's an old man sitting on the throne that's saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut"_

Eyes closed, her nerves on fire, she sang the rest of the song. When she finished, when she slipped off her headphones and opened her eyes to take a tentative look through the glass, she saw three individuals staring back, dumbstruck.

"Good?" she asked.

"We can work with this," Haymitch said.

* * *

A few recordings later, she and Peeta sat at a nearby restaurant eating lunch. Haymitch had stayed behind to watch Castor work.

"You're amazing," Peeta said for the third time. "Your voice, it's…" He shook his head. "You could do it, you know. You could put out an album."

She blushed, again, and looked down at her lunch. Singing an unrecorded song in a multimillion-dollar studio was surreal enough. She couldn't imagine taking the next step. She couldn't imagine being a name people knew.

"And that song…it was so edgy, so cool, so...powerful. That's the kind of music I want to be singing. That's what I want to write."

"Then sing it," she said. "Write it."

"I can't. Not as part of District*4. That's not our sound or our image."

She laid her hand over his. "Then, maybe it's time to move forward on your own."

Before Peeta could respond, Katniss's phone rang. She picked up when she saw it was Annie.

"Hey!" she said.

"Katniss."

She heard it in the way Annie said her name. It took only one word, two syllables, but Katniss knew something terrible had happened.

"Annie, what's wrong?"

Peeta cast a worried glance in her direction, but she immediately plugged her free ear, so she wouldn't miss a thing Annie said.

"Your grandmother was just here. To pick up Prim. They said they wouldn't be returning her until after you got back."

"Well, that's no big deal. More freedom for you, right?"

"Kat, they hired a lawyer. They suggested you do the same."

Katniss inhaled sharply. "What? Why?"

"They've seen the tabloids. They've been keeping track of you in LA. Someone sent them an article about last night. They think you're partying too much. They think you're neglecting Prim."

Katniss hunched over, suddenly unable to breathe. "Just tell me. Tell me exactly what they said."

"They're petitioning the court to remove you as Prim's legal guardian."


End file.
